


The Shadows Within

by Ginny41



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-01-24 02:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ginny41/pseuds/Ginny41
Summary: Hyunjin was bound to a terrible fate, a curse she couldn't escape. Heejin was born with a very special gift, however she never felt blessed by it. Two girls, one curse and a choice to make.
Relationships: Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Comments: 35
Kudos: 79





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is an adaptation of an old story of mine, named 'White Departure'. I'll present a different version of it here, and hopefully I get to finish it this time.  
It contains magical elements and it's very loosely based on the lore of Beautiful Creatures series' universe (it has no relation with the OG story tho), however you don't need to have readen it to understand anything.

Dirty. It was always dirty, and now it was humid to make it even worse.

Looking at the marble steps, Hyunjin thought about they were supposed to be polished and bright, but now it only accumulated all the gray dust thanks to the city’s intense layer of fine dust that was always present. Small cracks had appeared on the steps within the years, the dirty pilling up inside it, no matter how hard she tried to remove it, too deep into the marble as if it was a permanent part of it now.

It rained in the last couple of days. Not powerful storms, but the annoying drizzle that was so weak and very insistent, always making the floor wet. Now, some kind of fungus had started growing into the cracks of the marble steps, the dull green mixing up with the dark spots, slowly spreading itself though the rest of the steps. The spots remind her of an old and ugly bruise, one that wouldn’t disappear even after she had treated it with ice and ointment.

Hyunjin really hated that color.

She rubbed the fabric against the cracks in the steps with more strength, her fingers becoming reddish due to the friction, still no results were seen on the actual marble. Didn’t matter what she did, how many times she rubbed the clean fabric against it, or what cleaning products she would use, eventually more and more fine dust would pill up in there, the fungus would keep growing and the dark spots would take over the, once white, marble plates. Then there would only be a possible solution, discard the old plates and replace it with new ones. The same thing would happen to the new ones, surely, but it would take a long time.

Time was all that matter in the end.

Everything was ruined by the time. Simple things like the marble steps that lead the way to the house, slowly crushed by the countless shoes that stepped on it and by the effect of the seasons. Even more complex things, like her family, that the centuries of egoism had led to where they were now.

Hyunjin was no exception to it. And she was running out of time.

Perhaps was because of this that she insisted in trying to fix the unfixable, in the vain hope that she would be able to at least delay the unavoidable. She just wanted to clean it up, even if just a bit. Clean every inch of that ancient house had become a habit, hard work that brought her some weird sense of comfort. Maybe she was trying to make up for it.

After all she couldn’t clean herself.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Hyunjin finally gave up on her useless task. The feeling of defeat was slowly becoming part of her as well, and she hated it even more than the dirty that was ruining her life.

Kim stood up, heading back to the warmth of her room. For now, there was nothing more she could do, neither for the old marble steps, neither for herself.

* * *

Her gaze landed over that house, the dirty window of the bus was still clean enough to allow her to notice all the details of that place. Tall pilasters, domes, chimneys, heavy polished wood and fine marble steps ... From afar everything seemed so new and imposing, so bright and flawless. So fake.

Heejin wondered if she was the only one who was able to notice it, if she would be able to do so if she was not the way she is. Maybe not.

The light morning fog was denser in that place. More gray and mysterious. Fuller of meanings.

It smelled more like death than usual.

The girl turned her back to the window, pretending to look for something in her backpack. The bus would be on the move soon, back to normal campus life and away from that weird place. She had to concentrate on this fact. She knew better than to attract to herself something she should not due to her dumb curiosity.

Jeon knew better because she had learned in the hard way. Way too many times.

Heejin could still feel a knot in her stomach, the unpleasant feeling of the sight of that place not leaving her even after the bus started to move again. It was not the first time she felt like this, neither it would not be the last time. She just had to ignore it, try her best to be like every other person in that bus, pretend she was completely unaware of what she just saw.

Her hands held the book's sides with more strength than needed, her knuckles becoming paler due to the strength she was using, meanwhile her fingertips were slightly purple due to the cold. She should have worn her gloves before leaving her house, but she never liked gloves. She needed the feeling in her hands to be as sharp as possible, her touch the most sensitive it could be.

She could not trust her eyes, but she could trust her touch. Most of the time.

Opening the book, Heejin’s fingers touched the pages with less care than usual, in a rush, searching for something she didn't even know what. She didn’t know what she would read, she had just realized that she had picked up one of her biochemistry books, but she just needed something to distract herself.

Thoughts were dangerous. Full of creativity, rage, sadness or even happiness – Never totally hers, never _only_ hers. They could feel it too, just like her.

She didn’t want to be heard. She didn’t want to be noticed.

Soon, as big as her hate for hydrogen and covalent bonds was, she tried her best to memorize all the content, making sure it was all her mind would be filled with for next minutes.

Chemistry was awful, but the dead were much worse.


	2. Shadows

Hyunjin wasn’t a good person.

She wasn’t the type that would help old ladies cross the street or share her lunch with the other kids. She wouldn’t hesitate cheating on a test if it meant she would get better grades and wouldn’t need to waste her time studying. She would lie to her parents and go out and do whatever she felt like – be it drinking, messing around or just driving her dad’s car aimlessly. She would make fun of the other kids at school, point out their flaws and feel superior for no reason. She would coldly reject every love confession she received, making sure they knew they weren’t worth of her precious time – and still everyone used to adore her.

She would even user her powers to make sure everything would go her way, not caring about how it would affect others.

Yet, she wasn’t so bad.

Not bad enough to keep herself alive.

Her easy life had ended in the day of her eighteen birthday, few months ago. Now she was just a shell of her former self, living her days surrounded by a collection of old books that didn’t bring her anything other than more headaches, having her obsessive cleaning habits and piles of her favorite bread as her only way to relieve stress.

Hyunjin still went to her college classes, not because she really cared about it, just because it was the one thing from her former life that she still had – even if she wouldn’t do much there besides sleep and ignore her classmates. Kim would often just walk aimlessly, wondering how she had ended up in such pathetic state.

The young woman closed her eyes, her breath uneven. She was wearing a hood, partially covering her face, even though she was in the middle of one of her classes and the weather was far too warm for it. She could feel people’s gaze on her and hear their whisperes – Some of those whispers didn’t seem quite human, not that it really bothered her anymore. Her colleagues must’ve thought she was having a bad hangover, or perhaps that she was constantly drunk considering it was only one of the many times she would show up to class looking terrible and hiding behind her hoodies. The teaches would always call her out, but they would never kick her out of class – unless she wanted them to.

Mr. Jung, her literature teacher, was coming over right now, ready to give her some good old scold. **“Kim Hyunjin, does my class looks like a club for you? Take off your hood and sit properly right now!” **His voice was harsh, annoyed by her apparently disrespectful behavior.

Hyunjin could feel her head about to explode, she definitely didn’t feel like playing nice today. She lifted her head a bit to make eye contact, just enough to reveal her bloodshot eyes to the teacher. The fingers of her left hand started to tap the desk lightly, gaining speed as she spoke**. “But you love my hoodie, don’t you? You love it and you want me to keep it.”** Her voice was low, her tone full of sarcasm. Yet the teacher didn’t complain about it, actually he suddenly become quiet, completely focused on her.

A small smirk appeared on the Kim’s face, like it would always appear whenever she felt her powers slowly taking over someone’s mind. Her fingers were only touching the table, but she could still feel like they were slowly wrapping around the teacher’s mind.

**“Perhaps you want to go out and buy something similar after class, right? Maybe you could end the class earlier today since you want one so bad.” **She suggested, her fingers hitting the wood desk faster now. Mr. Jung’s eyes were still on her, even though they seemed so dull now – Like a doll’s eyes, and that was what he was right now. A doll that she wouldn’t hesitate in control as long as it made him stop bugging her.

The teacher nodded, a big mechanic smile on his face. “**It’s a great idea!” **His tone was full of childish excitement. He was wrapped around her finger, so easily that it was almost boring. She had to remember to ‘ask’ him later to send her the next test answers, she could use another easy 10 – Not everyone was so easy to play, unfortunately.

**“Mr. Jung, can you start the class now, please?”** Her fingers were still hitting the desk lightly, every hit slower than the last one. She didn’t have time to waste playing with the old man’s mind right now, she just wanted some peace. The teacher nodded, the smile still on his face as he went back to his desk and start talking about a passage of some old book. It was just like the little moment between them never happened – Except that he would still smile warmly at her, like she was his favorite student instead of a punk that was about to take a nap on her desk.

The other students seemed a bit shocked about the whole thing, the whispers louder than before. She didn’t need to hear it to know what they were saying, it wasn’t like she cared to begin with.

There was a time she would have been more cautious and do her best to hide her powers, a time where she would use more of her natural charm to get what she wanted instead of just blatantly using her gift.

She wasn’t braver now, she just didn’t give a damn. Using her gift in small ways like this gave her some comfort, it reminded her that she still had some control over the things around her if not over herself.

She wasn’t brave enough to use her gift to fulfil the curse, maybe she would never be.

Kim rested her forehead against the cold wood of the desk. The headache was bad, but it was only the beginning.

* * *

Heejin waved goodbye to one last classmate, starting to pack her belongings. There was so many people in her class, from a variety of majors and ages, she was trying her best to befriend everyone. Jeon was good at making friends, with her gentle personality and a small smile that never left her face – it was fake most of the time, but it didn’t matter. She was willing to be around as many people as she could, to have as many simple and fun conversations, and act careless – anything that could distract her from _everything_ else.

Jeon didn’t want to stand out, she didn’t want to be popular or adored, she just wanted to be normal and mingle with the rest of the crowd for once.

A long, heavy sigh escaped from her lips, full of a tiredness she would never allow herself to show to any of her new friends. Her new, perpetually happy persona was a great thing, but sometimes she wished she could just act like herself.

Back then, when she was still in school things were pretty bad. First in kindergarten where she would be too terrified to even leave the classroom to play – She couldn’t help but see too much and hear things she wasn’t supposed to. In middle school it was worse, she still couldn’t help but feel afraid every time she saw a spirit, and because of this the other kids started to avoid her, making fun of her weirdness and giving her unpleasant nicknames that would make her miserable existence even more miserable.

The girl had tried her best to change things when she went to high school, gathering all her courage to not flinch at every being she would see – human or not. But she also had somehow isolated herself, all her mental strength focused on learning how to protect herself from _them_, she didn’t have any left to deal with all the teenage drama.

Her gift made her life miserable in so many ways for so long, it was more of a curse than a bless.

Everywhere she goes, every new person she meets…_They_ were always there, attached at the things and people, hungry for even the tiniest chance of feeling alive again. Many saw in her their best chance to do so. An easy target, a simple vase that they could occupy and fulfil whatever wishes they still had.

It was like they could feel her presence and smell her fear. Once they were able to her, it wouldn’t be too long until they were inside her head. That’s why she had to try her best to never be noticed.

Now she wanted to make things different. And she was doing it.

In her high school years she had learned that the best way to deal with it was to simply ignore all the things she wasn’t supposed to see to begin with – unfortunately it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. She had to create a barrier around her mind, to block them from coming inside. She had to learn to overlook things, to fake her expressions, to be ready every single moment. Facing one of _them_ was still something that made her want to run away screaming like she used to do when she was little, but she had to keep her composure, her mind free of any trace of fear.

That’s why she needed to keep that facade and make so many friends, it not only distracted her mind, but it would also make it a lot harder for any of those things to find her.

Jeon needed to ignore her gift. Not only for herself, but for her family as well.

Heejin’s heart would break every time she noticed a look full of fear and worry in her parent’s eyes whenever she would run to them talking about something she saw, but they couldn’t see. When she was small, she thought they felt the same way as her, that they were scared that the ghosts would eventually harm her.

But as the time passed, she understood their fear was far more realistic, that for them everything she saw was only a creation of her own mind, a signal she might not be as sane as the others – she felt like that many times as well. Jeon had stopped telling them about what she saw, about her fears and the discoveries she made related to it. She had started pretending everything was fine, making fun of herself for being such a ‘fool’ and making sure her smile would never leave her face – Heejin could notice the relief on her mom’s face, the woman was relieved for not having a crazy daughter.

Even Heejin herself wasn’t completely sure if she wasn’t out of her mind, that she wasn’t just hallucinating it all. But everything always felt so real. The times _they_ touched her mind were terrible, but it was even scarier when they were able to physically touch her. Most weren’t powerful enough to do such a thing, but the times she had encountered the ones that could, it had left marks on her, both on her body and on her mind. Marks that she couldn’t explain to anyone and had to bear the pain in silence.

The brunette girl shook her head, getting rid of the unnecessary thoughts. Keeping a fake smile might be hard sometimes, but she was happier in the last year than she had been all her life – Fake happiness was still better than none. Nothing in life comes for free and she knew how important it was to work hard, even if for her it meant to pretend to be someone she wasn’t entirely.

Jeon closed her bag and stood up. She was ready to leave, giving one last look to the glass windows by her desk.

The sun was still bright in the sky, illuminating the campus and making all it touched look prettier and more vivid. She always loved the sun, the light it brought, the warm and the way it made her feel so much more alive. It never failed in lifting her mood, and for the first time in that day, a sincere smile appeared on her face.

* * *

Hyunjin let out a yawn, finally waking up from her much needed morning nap. She woke up to an empty room. Mr. Jung hadn’t tried to wake her up, as expected he would be too busy thinking about buying himself an ugly hoodie for the rest of the day. Her classmates hadn’t bothered to inform her that the class was over, what also wasn’t surprising at all.

There was still an insistent throbbing in her temple, luckily not as powerful as before. Medicine wouldn’t work, at least the kind she could buy at the local drug store. The special one, made out of things she would rather to not know, was becoming less efficient as well. She knew soon nothing would stop the pain, she also knew that it was only the first signal of the curse acting on her.

To know what was about to come made her feel weak and hopeless, frustrated with herself.

It made her feel scared.

She was starting to think that taking things into her own hands would be a better choice, not as painful and a lot faster. She could win against the curse like that, even if the outcome would still be the same, she would’ve ended things in her own terms. Maybe it would be better to just do it already…

These thoughts were so insistent and frequently lately, even in her dreams.

The thoughts weren’t hers, and the rage it brought her for having her mind violated was enough to make her ignore it – most of the time.

Kim took off the hoodie, using her cellphone camera to check on her eyes. They were still a bit puff and red, but much better than before. Sleep was still the best medicine available.

She left the classroom, her steps slow and lazy as she dragged her feet through the hallways. The other students were almost running down the corridors, in a hurry to get out of there after another boring day. Most of them were on their way to the cafeteria, but she went straight to the exit. She wasn’t hungry at all, lately she was barely eating anything other than bread with hazelnut cocoa spread – Not the healthiest meals, but she probably wouldn’t live long enough for it to be a problem anyway.

Hyunjin felt as if her limbs were incredibly heavy, her shoulders been pushed down by a weight much greater than her light bag. She couldn’t see it, but she knew for sure she had more company than she wished. Shake _them_ off wasn’t so hard usually, she just needed to get to her house and _they_ wouldn’t be able to follow her inside. There were other ways, however she didn’t bother to try anything, taking into consideration she would only attract more of _them_ later.

The black-haired girl blinked as soon as she reached outside, blinded by the sunlight. She was never a morning person, or better saying, a ‘day person’ at all. The discomfort made her walk faster, reaching for the sunglasses on her backpack. But she never got the chance of using it, a voice calling her in a weirdly cheerful tone made her stop halfway.

Hyunjin protect herself from the sun by going under one of the campus old trees. She looked around, trying to locate the voice and it didn’t take her long to notice the girl with long dark brown hair and a smile that was as bright as the sun – She should’ve put her shades on while she had the chance.

* * *

Heejin just wanted to grab some food and head to her house where she would spend the rest of the afternoon reading and listen to the same five songs on repeat. Unfortunately, the cafeteria was packed and the vending machines food didn’t seem that great either, therefore she would have to walk a little more to buy something before heading home. She was on her way out of the campus when she saw _them_.

Jeon had worked so hard in the last year to be able to ignore their presence, but it wasn’t something she could easily overlook. The shadows were roving over something, four or five of them, frantically moving as if they were constantly crashing into it and being repelled, fighting each other.

In her eighteen years of life Heejin had never seen anything like this. Shadows weren’t like the spirits she would usually see, the angry ghosts of people that died not so long ago. The shadows didn’t have a fixed form, they were just big grey blurs that always seem to be attached to someone or looking for their next target. Whenever they showed up, she would feel as if the world had become suddenly quiet, cold and lifeless – She would have said they were demons, but she never dared to go that far, too afraid to admit such a thing really existed.

She held onto her backpack with double the strength, taking long breaths to calm herself. _They_ hadn’t notice her, not yet at least.

Now she could see what, or better saying, who _they_ were surrounding. The young girl walked with her head down, long black hair covering most of her face. The shadows were crashing against her back, being thrown back like a giant shield protected the girl – An armor that was about to break down by the way the shadows were getting more and more close of actually touching her.

Heejin didn’t know that girl, she probably had never met her. Still, she couldn’t take her eyes off of her.

**“_They_ are not here for me...They are becoming part of her.”** Heejin whispered to herself, flinching at the horrific sight in front of her. She had seen so much in her life, but nothing like this. She could feel a shiver run down her spine, a cold sensation embracing her, preventing her of moving even an inch.

For the first time ever since she decided to turn her back to that whole world, she was unsure of what to do.

Jeon knew the smartest decision to make, the only course of action that would keep her safe was to run away as fast as she could and pretend she had never seen that, pretend she never met that girl.

But she just couldn’t do it.

**“Hey!”** Without even realizing it, she had called her, her voice sounding hesitant, huskier than normal. She could feel the coldness still trying to creep into her bones, but she used all things she had learned through the years to keep the feeling away.

Her gaze met the girl’s darker one, and she saw something there, something far scarier than the _others_.

For some unknown reason Heejin didn’t turn her back on the scene, she didn’t do the smart and logical thing for once. For the very first time in years she faced her fears instead of running. Not because she wasn’t afraid, but because she had made up her mind.

The things she saw in that girl’s eyes were the same things she used to see in her own, the fear, the rage, the desperate need.

She saw a silent cry for help and she decided she would be the one to offer this help.

Heejin concentrated in the warmth of the sun that still covered her body, repeating to herself once again that _they_ couldn’t hurt her, especially when the sun was still high up in the sky, ready to destroy any shadow in its way.** “Hey! Wait a minute, please!” **She shouted, this time with more confidence. A smile growing on her face as she run towards the girl.

Her heart was beating so fast, fear and a weird type of excitement rushing through her body. It took Jeon years to be brave for herself and suddenly there she was, being brave for a stranger. It was the most stupid thing she had ever done and realizing it didn’t make her stop. Instead, she faced the girl and utterly an even dumber greeting. **“Oh, I…Er…Hi!”**

Hyunjin stared at the girl with a puzzled look. The stranger standing in front of her was probably the weirdest part of her day, and her days were usually pretty weird. She frowned, wondering if Mr. Jung had somehow break away of her charm before the class ended to assign some kind of group work and that girl was there to deliver the bad news that they would be partners for the semester. She couldn’t recall seeing her face in class before, but it wasn’t like she paid attention to her classmates most of the time.

**“Hey. Do you need something?”** Hyunjin asked, rubbing her left temple to try to make her headache a little more bearable. Kim wished that kid wasn’t about to try to bother her to get some work done right now, she was too tired to use her gift and arguing with some random girl that looked like she was part of the girls scout didn’t sound that great.

It was hard for Heejin to not look at the shadows, but she realized that once she had her eyes locked onto the girl’s darker ones, it was surprisingly easy to keep her focus. Even though her eyes were so vulnerable, the expression on the stranger’s face wasn’t friendly at all. Now Heejin could see her in detail, the pretty features of her face, the slightly plump lips with a sly smirk on it, and her elegant high cheeks that gave her a somewhat arrogant look and the cat like eyes that were so unique. She also had noticeable dark circles under her eyes, and her face was a bit pale contrasting with the pretty color of the sun-kissed skin of her neck.

Still, she was probably one of the prettiest girls Jeon had ever seen. And she could bet the girl knew it by the way she stood there with a bored expression, as if having people suddenly jumping in front of her was a normal occurrence.

**“I’m Heejin! What’s your name? Do you have some free time now?” **She tried, making an extra effort to sound friendly. That girl’s gaze was more intimidate them any spirit.

Kim almost rolled her eyes when she heard Heejin introduce herself. What was her deal? She couldn’t be a classmate if she didn’t even know her name. Hyunjin couldn’t really think of any reason that would make someone like that girl approach her. **“Does it matter? It’s past the club recruitment season, don’t you guys ever get tired of stalking people?”** She guessed, club leaders could be a bit crazy sometimes when they needed to raise their numbers.

Heejin blinked, a confused expression on her face as she tried to deny the accusation in a rush, shaking her head negatively.

However, Hyunjin spoke before she could do so. **“So what? Are you trying to flirt with me?”**

The brown-haired woman was a bit shocked with the other girl’s rude ways, she sounded so annoyed and full of herself – Like a spoiled brat. Hyunjin wondered why she was even there to begin with, mingling into someone else’s business when the girl clearly wasn’t enjoying her presence to begin with. Once again, her self-protective instincts kicked in, telling her to stop being dumb and get out of there while she could.

But she didn’t, Heejin hesitated again. She just couldn’t ignore those eyes. She stepped a bit closer, her hand touching the girl’s hand gently, taking it away of her forehead. She could see the shadows hover around them, one of them had just tried to reach out for the woman and failed. Even though she never experienced directly how it was to be connected to one of those things, she knew for sure it wasn’t nice. She won’t let it happen today, to neither of them.

Hyunjin was a bit startled when the smiley cute girl suddenly became more serious, the crescents that were her eyes now had a sharp, determinate look on them. The hand on hers was warm, _so_ _warm_ against her cold ones. It was soft as well, gentle yet strong. It made her feel a weird feeling, a little fuzzy thing on her chest, making it lighter for a moment.

She wanted to break free from the contact and tell her to stop bothering her and just go way – yet, she didn’t.

**“If I say I’m flirting, will you have lunch with me?” **Heejin asked, her grip firm on the Kim’s hand.

Hyunjin couldn’t even say a word, blinking in confusion. Perhaps the curse was starting affect her mind as well.

Heejin smiled at her, ignoring the coldness of the spirits surrounding them. She decided she wanted to be like the sun, bright and strong, capable of pushing away all the shadows.

She surely had picked a weird way to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! How you all doing? I’m mainly a lipseul/chuuves writer, and this is my first time on this tag, so please be kind and bear with my terrible grammar (I know, I can’t proofread to save my life). This story is pretty much only happening because my friend requested it, so here it’s Charlie!
> 
> It won’t be long, maybe 8 chapters maximum.
> 
> Anyway, I apologize for any mistakes and I hope you enjoyed it, thank you for reading and see you next update!


	3. Intertwining

Being near Hyunjin was one of the most disturbing things Heejin has ever done. However, she didn’t hesitate even for a moment, guided by her decision of helping the other girl – she didn’t know exactly how, but she would.

Heejin was having a hard time trying to dissipate the _shadows_ that were following the young raven-haired woman. Asking the girl out was the only thing that came to her mind when she realized they would need to get close if she wanted to try and help.

The convenience store that smelled like old tofu and ramen wasn’t the most romantic place in the world and Heejin probably would never have picked it as a good place for a first date – Not that she knew much about dates anyways. And it definitely wasn’t one.

The stranger wasn’t someone easy to read. Not only she was armed with her cynical stare and sarcastic remarks, the girl also had some kind of special energy that Jeon had never experienced before. It was like fire and ice all at once, like her both energies were fighting each other and losing, draining the girl slowly. Was it depression? Problems with her family or a lover? Maybe it was the result of months, or even years, being stuck in a bad place… Heejin wondered if it was the reason why the _shadows_ had picked her to torment.

Although something was telling her it was not the case. At least, not only that.

During their way there they hadn’t really talked, the black haired girl seem annoyed by the mere sight of her and Heejin wasn’t so clueless to the point of not noticing it. Besides, the presence of those things was still making her shiver under her pink jacket, so she was keeping her distance as much as she could without looking weird. _Weirder_.

Instead, Jeon spent these few minutes thinking about what she could do to make the _shadows_ go away without revealing herself to _them_ or freaking out the other girl. She could try to spread her personal barrier to the girl, maybe she was strong enough to protect them both – she wasn’t very sure if she would be able to even do that.

Heejin always had a couple of amulets with her, all kind of stuff she could use to protect herself. Perhaps give one of them to the brunette would help. _If_ she could find a way to do so.

She had offered to pay for the ramen. Food wasn’t good only to break the tension and give them some time to get used to be around each other, but also a subtle way of helping. Now that she had taken a closer look, the taller girl was a bit too thin as well. However, she still had the ability of making Heejin nervous, bringing out her shy side from the depths she had hidden it for the past year. She tried her best to ignore the feeling, trying to think about a perfectly safe topic to begin the conversation – She had tried before, but her comments about the nice weather only her a facepalm from her bored companion.

**“Well, you didn’t tell me your name earlier.”** Heejin tried again.

The girl sitting two seats away from her was not like her easygoing college colleagues, she seemed overly wary about everything. But it wasn’t so bad, it actually made Heejin feel a little less pressured to maintain her perfect happy image.

As subtly as she could, Heejin had tried to stick one of the sacred seals she had gotten from a shady monk months ago, under the table, as close to the other woman as she could risk reaching out without given away what she was up to. Her nervous fingers rubbing against the seal, until she was sure it wouldn’t come off easily.

It was slowly taking effect over the _shadows_, making them fade away gradually like an old painting and not the evil blurs they actually were.

Heejin was no fool, she knew _they_ couldn’t simply be destroyed like that, the seal just made the place unbearable for _them_ for a little while. She hoped _they_ wouldn’t find their way to Hyunjin so easily again.

The raven-haired frowned slightly, her cat like eyes narrowing. The other girl was giving her one of those awkward, yet adorable smiles. What was her name again? Hyejin? Hoojin? She hadn’t payed that much attention to her name earlier.

Hyunjin was still wondering how the hell she ended up in such situation, sitting beside that girl scout wannabe whom she couldn’t remember the name, eating cheap ramen in a convenience store. Why she had even agreed to follow the girl there? She was sure the other was about to take a bible out of her bag and start lecturing her or something like that.

Hyunjin would have find it easier to believe in what she had said earlier if the girl didn’t give her such suspicious looks. The other woman didn’t seem charmed by her at all, actually it was like she was a little scared and concerned all at once.

Perhaps that was the reason why Kim had agreed on following her. The girl sparkled her curiosity, even if only due to how weird she seemed. Lately, very little was able to catch Hyunjin’s attention, especially people.

Her headache wasn’t as bad now, only a small discomfort in the back of her mind. Maybe she should try to be a little more civil. **“I’m Hyunjin. Kim Hyunjin.”** She finally answered, receiving a more relaxed – relieved would be the right word – smile in return.

For Heejin to receive this answer, even if it was said in a halfhearted tone, was still enough to give her a bit of confidence to continue the conversation, trying her best to act like she did around her classmates earlier. **“Oh, Hyunjin-ssi! May I ask how old are you?”**

Then again there was that annoying club leader tone to her voice. Hyunjin wasn’t really a fan of formalities and all the seniority hierarchy was a big pain in the…So she let out an annoyed sigh. **“I’m a freshman. And you can drop the ‘ssi’ already.”**

**“That’s okay, it’s my first year too! You can call me Heekie.”** The slightly older girl said with a wave of hand, as to show it wasn’t big deal. However, she must have noticed Kim’s unpleased look and soon add. **“Or just Heejin! Anything is fine.”**

So, her name was Heejin. The younger girl nodded to herself before focusing her attention on the remaining lukewarm ramen that she was supposed to be eating. She was never a fan of it, she couldn’t remember why she had accepted it. Maybe the curse was affecting her judgment as well. **“Why everything tastes like cardboard lately?”** Mumbling to herself, she closed the foil lid of the cup, pushing it away slightly and crossing her arms over the table.

The girl was still feeling tired, but not as much as usual. The weight on her shoulders wasn’t as bad neither. She wondered how much of it had to do with her new companion.

**“Is it that bad? I thought it was okay.”** Heejin said giving her an apologetic smile.

**“Your flirting skills are really something, you know?”** Hyunjin replied with a smirk, her tone less sarcastic and slightly more friendly now – it’s been months since she had a conversation with someone other than her two people that helped her with her _condition_, perhaps she missed it a little. Her gaze met the girl’s hazelnut eyes, inspecting her face for anything that could give away Heejin’s real intentions – she saw nothing but kindness and a bit of fear on them, like a child’s eyes. **“Why you really called me? If you want something you should just say it.”**

If Heejin was about to show her crazy club leader or cult priest side, she better do it now and don’t waste any more of their time.

**“I…”** Jeon hesitate, averting her gaze from Hyunjin to look at something behind her. Not that there was anything to see, other than a bunch of old snacks.** “I just saw you and thought maybe you could use a friend.”** Her tone was surprisingly sincere, timid but honest. Heejin was looking at her now, braving up to give her a smile.

It was Kim’s turn to look away, with an airy, almost nervous chuckle.

The unexpected, sappy answer, had an odd effect on the younger girl. Made her wonder how bad and fragile she must be looking for a stranger decide to take pity on her. Maybe she should feel annoyed about it and cut off Heejin before she could utter some annoying cliché about the beauty of life and how God had better plans for her – she looked like the type.

Yet, Hyunjin couldn’t bring herself to do so.

Kim didn’t have a friend in a really long time and she didn’t even know if she wanted one now. But she didn’t want to push Heejin away just yet.

**“Just to let you know, I’m not joining any cult. I don’t like camping or anything like that…But, I’m fine with ramen, I guess.”** The girl replied, just trying to keep her usual cool facade, still her tone wasn’t hostile. **“No churches though.”**

Heejin blinked, surprised with the answer – she expected Hyunjin to decline her offer straight away. Jeon expected the brunette to laugh at her cheesy line, but the girl seemed almost flustered by it. It was an amusing sight, an adorable side Heejin wouldn’t have thought she had.

Her smile become smaller with the mention of churches. She had visited plenty of churches, from all faiths, when she was younger. Most didn’t bring her good memories.

Heejin still had Hyunjin’s attention over her and for the very first time in a while she permits herself to be honest, the most she could be at least. **“Me neither. I don’t really like churches.” **Her tone was firm now, a bit too intense for someone who looked so soft and gentle always.

It made Hyunjin glance at her again, checking if her expression matched her voice.

Perhaps she wasn’t the only one that needed a friend.

It took about two minutes of awkward silence before she made a decision. Her time was running out, her days becoming less and less bearable. A new friend in her life wasn’t the worst thing she would have to deal with, right?

It could be, but there was no why for her to know it yet.

**“I’m not really good at this ‘small talk and get close’ thing, so…How do we start it?”** It was something very small, a very tiny crack in her protective armor, but it was a beginning.

The shorter brunette tried to push aside the sudden memories, glad for Hyunjin’s interruption. She noticed the raven-haired had something different in her tone this time, somewhat friendly.

A sincere smiled made its way to Heejin’s face.

**“I will try my best, but I’m still learning as well.”** She confessed, feeling the atmosphere a lot more comfortable now that Hyunjin had showed a small signal of acceptance of her company – The absence of the _shadows_ and her childhood memories in her mind also helped.

**“Let’s begin from the start! What you are majoring in? I’m actually a literature major, but I’m trying to take as many different classes as I can.” **She would rather to be in the music department, but she was trying her best to not disappoint her parents any further. Besides, she doubted she could have a career where she would have to deal with so much attention if she succeed – and the chances were pretty slim.

**“Hm, literature? I have a class on it, it’s pretty boring**.” Hyunjin commenting midway a yawn as to prove her point.

Heejin didn’t doubt the other girl actually used the so called class to nap instead of studying. She wasn’t one to support this kind of behavior, but Hyunjin looked so tired that she hoped the girl had got some rest, even if during classes.

**“Let me guess, Mr. Jung? He gets a bit carried away sometimes, but is not so bad. I can help you with that, if you want.”** She offered, hoping they could use it as a way to bond somehow. Wasn't that what college life was really all about? Complain about your teachers and try to survive through the exams.

**“I don’t think his tests will be a problem. But sure, why not?”** Kim shrugged her shoulders, an amused glint in her eyes as she spoke, as if she was enjoying a joke no one else was aware of. Heejin wasn’t sure if the brunette was making fun of her, but she liked this slightly brighter side of the girl, therefore it didn’t matter.** “I’m a business major, by the way. Not that it’s any less boring.”**

Heekie could noticed that the girl looked slightly more relaxed now, her gaze wasn’t as unsetting as before. But it still wasn’t the one she wished the girl had.

It was Jeon’s turn to nod. She could picture this. They had only met, but she could already tell how smart the Kim was. Business seemed like an appropriated match for her personality. **“I guess it all gets a little boring after a while.”** The pile of unfinished studying books she had back in her apartment was a proof of it. Heejin loved reading, but the books of her own choice, not some old books written by conceited men about their not so exciting lives. School was overall a very boring thing itself, nothing like the fun college life she would always see on TV. **“I like going for a walk and read by the river when I get too stressed…I know, it’s ironic that books are still the thing that relaxes me after I get stressed thinking about other books.”** She giggled to herself. She was probably sounding silly, but if it was what she needed to do to make things a bit less awkward, then it’s was worth it.

Once again Hyunjin only let out the airy chuckle that Heejin was starting to think was the closest she could get from a sincere laugh.

**“A perfect goody two-shoes girl scout, as expected.”** Kim said more to herself than to her new friend, if that was what they were now. **“So that’s what you do for fun?”**

Heejin had never been part of the girl scouts and she most definitely didn’t learn anything from them, but she thought pointing it out would be just a waste of time. **“Hm, yes, I guess? I really love music as well, so I’m always surrounded by it. There are some animes too. I guess I have a pretty common taste for hobbies.” **She could have mentioned all the time she had to waste searching for new amulets and other things to keep herself safe. But it was definitely not a good topic for a first meeting, even for such an odd one.

**“And what about you?”** Heejin asked, finally daring to jump seats and get a bit closer to Hyunjin. The seal had worked well getting rid of the _shadows_ for now. However, it was the other girl’s change of attitude that made her feel comfortable enough to try.

The raven-haired girl didn’t reply right away, her face going from her characteristic smirk to a new expression, something between confusion and annoyance. Like she had just realized something unpleasant.

Jeon was about to try to change the subject once more, afraid she had unknowingly brought up some kind of unpleasant memory to the girl – it was supposed to be a harmless question.

**“I don’t do anything.”** The answer came along with a shrug of shoulders.

In the past Hyunjin always did _too much_, at least that was what her parents used to say whenever she got into trouble. Skipping classes to hang out with her loud inconvenient friends, playing in the old arcade near the school, spending all her money on fast food and fancy clothes she would throw away right after because she had changed her mind...All those things were just an old, irritant, memory in the back of her mind now.

Aside the taste for junkie food, the rest was meaningless for her at the moment. Slowly, she had left her old life behind. Left her dumb, naïve and brave-for-nothing self behind.

Hyunjin couldn’t bring herself to leave the house for anything other than visit the library, but not the one Heejin and the other college kids frequented. The one library that only opened during certain times of the month, only at night and where you could easily get lost forever. The only place she could try to find some answers regarding the curse and how to lift it. _If_ there was a way to do so. She hadn’t find anything useful yet.

She could tell Heejin that all she did lately was reading books that never said what she wanted to hear, eating too much bread and sleep as much as her tired body demanded – what was a lot. But she didn’t want to look even more pitiful.

Heejin stared at her with concerned eyes for a second, hopefully not enough for the Kim to notice, before giving her a warm smile. **“Then we should try to find something we both like doing, so we can hang out more! I’ve been watching a couple of shows lately. Have you ever seen K-On or the movie The Greatest Showman?”**

Heejin was again acting like the goody two-shoes, overly nice and optimistic person she looked like, her tone full of a strong determination as if finding a movie that they both liked was something important and not such a futile matter. As if having some little things in common could make them best friends or whatever.

Usually, Hyunjin would have told her else to shup up by now, maybe even told her how boring all musicals were and how only a boring person like her could like it.

But she didn’t, not even when she noticed the glimpse of pity in the pretty brown eyes.

Because even if it was dumb, and futile, and so ridiculously random, it was the first time in a very long time that someone showed interest in what was behind her cynical facade. The first time she met someone that was willing to try, even if only a bit, for her.

There wasn’t only pity in her eyes. Not only the altruistic craving for helping others. There was a glimpse of fear in those eyes as well. But still, Jeon was there and was willing to stay – at least for now – and it was enough.

** “No animes or anything with singing on it.”** Hyunjin cut her off in the middle of her speech about this one anime she had seen three times already.

The slightly older girl became quiet, a small disappointed pout on her face for the sudden interruption.

**“How much do you know about cat cafes?”** Kim asked bluntly, standing up and getting ready to leave.

Heejin wasn’t as simple as she looked like, Hyunjin could feel it and she was looking forward to understand exactly how different that girl was.

Jeon blinked, confused.** “A cat…what?”**

The taller brunette muffled a laugh, Jeon’s expressive face was something she could learn to appreciate. **“You can see it if you start moving instead of only staring at me.”**

Jeon rushed to get her bag and follow the raven outside.

* * *

Later that day Heejin figured out cat cafes were literally what the name suggested with a bunch of kitties all over the place – no matter how weird it sounded, it seem to be pretty popular. Hyunjin seem to have a special liking for cats and bread, most of the time just petting the cats and stuffing her mouth with endless bread – it was such a different sight compared to her initial could impression and Heejin found it oodly adorable.

Even though the conversation had gone in a very unexpected way, it was surprisingly pleasant.

They had sat down to taste one of the decorated cakes the bakery sold, the raven-haired looking much less intimidating now that she was admiring the little cat toy they had won as if it was something precious and smiling to the cats whenever one approached her.

The taller girl told her about how she had found that place by chance and even though in the beginning she would just walk right past it, now it was one of the only places she liked to visit – the cats were lovely, but the wonderful bread was also a good way of convincing her to come back.

It was Heejin’s turn to hide her chuckles, she would never imagine Hyunjin to be a cat enthusiast.

Even though it was the main topic for the first half hour, soon they started talking about other things, like how Heejin always wanted to have a dog and how Hyunjin once thought about taking some of the cats home, the conversation eventually reached other topics. Nothing very personal or complicated. Just a light and easy conversation as college students should be having, hanging out in the middle of the afternoon and eating overly sweet food with equally sugary drinks instead of being at home studying.

It was nothing like what Heejin had planned, it wasn’t a deep conversation or a heavenly connection. It was more like kids getting to know each other. But it somehow seem just right and she couldn’t complain about it.

Jeon was worried that once they left the convenience store and the seal behind, the shadows would latch onto Hyunjin again. But it wasn’t the case, it was quite the opposite.

As the time went by, Hyunjin was starting to look better, the pale skin of her face slowly regaining color as her eyes were filled with a glint. Heejin didn’t know why, but she wished it was always like this.

**“I really should get going now. Should we exchange numbers?”** Heekie asked when the clock in the wall announced with a beep that one more hour had passed.

She had been so engrossed making sure to keep the Kim safe and focused on their conversation that she had forgotten she was supposed to be at home already, studying for a test she would have tomorrow – even if she didn’t have a test to study, Heejin never liked staying outside at night. When you grow up with a gift like hers, you learn that the fear of darkness is not a thing only for kids.

Nonetheless, she should also make sure Hyunjin would go home soon. She didn’t want to overestimate the power of the seal and keep Hyunjin out of the streets in the busy hours for the dead was the best idea.

Kim agreed with a simple nod, offering her phone for Heejin to input her number, too lazy to do so herself. The day had gone by so fast. She still couldn’t believe that she had said yes to a complete stranger and spent all her afternoon with her. More shockingly, she actually enjoyed doing it.

The raven-haired girl couldn’t recall the last time she had talked for so long about such silly things, ignoring all the problems that made her mind slow and the curse that made her body heavy. It brought her a new feeling of relief, made her feel a bit more like what she was supposed to feel: a careless student, instead of a grumpy old and sick lady.

Actually, only when Heejin was typing her number into Hyunjin’s phone that the younger girl noticed two things.

First, the fact that even though they had spent so much time together and Heejin’s excessive bright and talkative personality should’ve been enough to get on her nerves, it didn’t. No matter how uncomfortable or annoyed she had felt initially, or how naïve and easy to manipulate Jeon seemed to be, Hyunjin hadn’t try to use her powers on the girl not even once.

The second thing was the fact that she was feeling better. Not even in the way she usually felt after taking mysterious meds she would buy to help delay the effects of the curse, but really _good_. Just like she used to feel before the curse affected her life.

Her headache had slowly faded, her sore muscles were relaxed and she could barely feel any discomfort on them, the constant mood swings that she couldn’t shake off were gone, leaving only her witty sense of humor in place.

How much Heejin could really affect her? She had promised herself she wouldn’t involve anyone into her curse, but what if Heejin could really help her? The thought burned like a flame on her mind, igniting the sparkle of hope she had tried so hard to bury.

Conflicted dark brown eyes met the sweet and warm hazelnut gaze, finding nothing but genuine kindness in them.

Who Heejin really was and why she had so much power over her? Was it even her or something else messing with them?

The questions were making her nervous, but even this couldn’t bring her to use her powers to try to get some answers out of the girl. She just felt like doing it would be like cheating – What was ridiculous, since she never really cared about being fair to others before.

Hyunjin gave the girl a tight-lipped smile when she received the phone back. The raven-haired was feeling awkward all of sudden, unsure of how to react at the fact that she might just have met someone who could change her fate.

She pressed the call option on the screen of the phone, so Heejin could have her number as well. **“Don’t text me about that anime or I might really block you.”** She managed to say, trying to not show her inner conflict.

**“It’s a nice show and you should watch it!”** Heejin repeated once more, but still nodded in agreement.

Having finished their drinks, both stood girls up to leave.

They left the place together, Hyunjin crossing her arms over her chest as she glanced at the girl.

**“Text me when you get home, okay?” **Heejin asked, giving her a small smile. She was taking the bus home, while the other girl decided to just walk back, under the excuse that her house was close. Jeon cogitated the idea of offering to keep her company a little more and walk her home, but she concluded it would be too risky. They were in good terms, she didn’t want to ruin the mood by triggering Hyunjin’s sarcastic self with her overprotectiveness.

The Kim gave her a faint smile in return. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about that girl. However, she couldn’t ignore how comfortable she made her feel as well. Having someone around again, especially someone who seem to be able to influence the effects of the curse over her, was something she wasn’t totally prepared to deal with.

Part of her wanted to keep Heejin as close as possible, too afraid of what c ould happen once she was gone. Would the curse effects comeback stronger? Or would it disappear like she had been magically cured? If it was like in the books, Heejin’s effect would last for a while, but not for too long.

On the other hand, the more logical part of her just wanted to push the girl away, protect them both of a cruel fate. She had been doing fine on her own so far, she should keep her decision until the end. At least for once, Hyunjin couldn’t be egoist.

However, right now she was feeling torn between the two options and she could barely answer properly Heejin’s simple request.

**“Yeah, sure, club leader.”** She managed to say, her tone lacking the usual teasing.

Luckily, they had already reached the bus stop and Hyunjin let out a small sigh of relief, turning to Heejin to send her off with a simple good night.

**“Wait!”** Jeon called, grabbing Hyunjin’s arm with gentle hands. She took off the silver bracelet of her left wrist, tying it around the brunette’s wrist. The argent bracelet had small crystals attached to it, the crystals seemed to shine a little brighter as soon as it touched the Hyun’s skin. ** “Here, keep it until the next time we meet.”**

Hyunjin looked from the twinkling bracelet that was now in her right arm, to the brunette in front of her. She shouldn’t accept this kind of stuff, she knew how objects could be dangerous. Even if it was not a magical artefact, why in the world that girl was giving her gifts?

**“With this we will have a reason to go on another date. Other than cast and bread, of course.”** Heejin explained and gave her a smile, turning her eyes into half-moons that matched the shape of the crystals on the bracelet.

**“I was wrong. You are actually really good at flirting.”** Kim said, astonished by the bold move her goody two-shoes new friend was pulling.

Although Heejin didn’t hear it, she was already on her way to the bus, waving goodbye.

The raven touched the crystals with her fingertips. The feeling wasn’t bad. The stones emanated the same energy as their owner, warm and gentle. The feeling was slowing spreading across her body, just like the first sunlight of the day. It made her feel safe.

Lifting her gaze, she met Jeon’s through the bus window.

The older girl gave an overly excited goodbye wave, pointing out her wrist and muttering a ‘take good care of it’. Hyunjin returned the wave awkwardly, watching the bus until it was out of view.

What had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, how is everyone doing? This is a slow chapter, but it's necessary to start building the bond between these two. We'll do things slowly here, but hopefully you guys won't get bored.
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading, as a new writer (for 2jin), I really appreciate the support and patience everyone is showing me. I'm sorry about the mistakes! 
> 
> Not sure when the next update will be since 2kim is my priority (shout out to my 2kim readers xD), but I'll try to not take too long. See you next time!


	4. Closer

She did it again, she somehow had managed to drag Hyunjin outside campus to spend some time with her instead. This time Jeon felt much more at ease about it, all thanks to the fact that her little _intervention project_ seems to be working just fine.

It’s been a little over a week since they first met, however things were changing fast. She had texted Hyunjin when she got home that night, and since then they hadn’t lost contact. 

Honestly Heejin didn’t think the raven-haired girl would be as open as she was, she even feared that Kim would simply block her number as soon as she realized their conversations about cats and breads was just too silly for someone like her. 

But she didn’t. 

Instead, she always kept the conversation going, talking about her school projects and the movies she had watched, she would even listen to Heejin’s complaints about school once in a while – It wasn’t perfect, of course. Jeon still had to get used to the younger girl’s irony and her sarcastic jokes, yet it wasn’t so bad, not bad at all actually.

Things were working so well over text that she was brave enough to suggest that they should have lunch together every day, and surprisingly, Hyunjin agreed after only a single comment regarding the fact that Heejin would have to run to make it back to class in time – She indeed had to run to be able to go over to the other girl’s side of the campus every day, however it was worth it.

Their relationship wasn’t something deep yet, but it was good. It felt _good_ at least.

It was different of hanging out with her classmates, she didn’t feel like she had to pretend to be happy and optimist all the time. Hyunjin was pretty direct with her words, leaving no room for Heejin to hide behind her façade. 

Beside it, the fact that the _shadows_ were no longer latching on Hyunjin’s was enough to make Heejin’s mood ten times better. The cat-like brunette tried to return the bracelet once and Heejin has refused it, making sure she knew it was a gift and it looked good on her. Although she had spent her own money on that, she had no idea the artefact was so powerful – and little did she know that it wasn’t –, still she was glad it could actually help the other girl.

Today, a Friday nothing less, she had invited Hyunjin over her house, under the excuse of helping her with her literature class – Even though she barely passed it and Hyunjin actually had a perfect score in her last test, those little details didn’t really matter.

** “I’m sorry, it’s a bit messy because…You know, student’s house and…” ** She apologized, struggling with her keys to open the door. **“Why this door never works?”** She muttered to herself, making a mental reminder to talk to her landlord about the condition of that place, for the price he was charging, she should’ve at least an electronic lock.

With a bit more of struggle and some extra strength, she got the door to move, opening up to give the girls a good view of her – more than just a bit messy – place. 

Hyunjin arched her eyebrows, scoffing at the sight. **“Do you always bring people here on the second date?”**

Heejin faced her with a small smile on her face, no signal of an embarrassed blush on her cheeks like the taller girl had expected. **“I never brought anyone here before.”**

It was one of those awkward moments that made Kim’s mind go blank, her usual fast and full of ironic comments brain, nowhere to be found. Perhaps, it was because Heejin always seem so sincere and she wasn’t used to deal with people like this.

She cleaned her throat, shaking her head slightly to try and regain her pose. **“I bet you say it to all the girls. Boys. Whatever.”** Hyunjin shrugged, pretending to not hear Jeon’s musical giggle. Great, now she could feel the tips of her ears getting red – the joke was on her.

Heejin still had that annoying, gentle and almost fond look on her face, and she couldn’t face her without risking to actually start to blush and ruin the little bit of pride she still had left, so instead she focused on taking a look around the room. 

It was a lot messier than she expected it to be – maybe Heejin had been kicked out of the Girl’s Scout for a reason. Her own little, and completely groundless, theory made her smile with herself, as she walked around the place, stopping to grab one of the frames where Heejin kept what looked like a family picture. This also wasn’t quite what she expected to see. A much younger version of Heejin was smiling, but that wasn’t her usual smile, it was a robotic, stiff one. 

A man and a woman, her parents most likely, had similar smiles meanwhile a slightly older girl – a sister maybe? – presented a wise look to her eyes, yet no smile was shown on her face. The most prominent figure though, was an old lady, she was sitting between the two younger girls and had a solemn expression on her face, her stiff posture was enough for Hyunjin to tell she wasn’t an easy person to deal with.

She put the frame back into place, deciding to check Heejin’s bookshelf instead.

While the raven was distracted with the books, Heejin took the chance to try tidying up the place, making sure she hadn’t left anything that the girl shouldn’t see laying around. She didn’t want the other woman to see her little collection of blessed artefacts, seals, smelly incense, candles and every other thing she could get her hands on to protect herself from unwanted company. Luckily now it all was well hidden inside her closet, locked to make sure Hyunjin’s curious eyes wouldn’t ever take a look at it.

Their sort-of-friendship was going well, but not to the point where she could simply confess that she had to deal with ghosts following her around and making her life a living hell. The girl wouldn’t be very pleased to know that her bizarre gift was the reason behind their relationship.

** “Do you want something to drink? Food?” ** She broke the silence, taking a step near to the younger girl to check what she was looking at. She saw the raven picking up one of the photos she kept on a memory board she had made not so long ago. 

There wasn’t much in there yet. People would usually fill it with pictures of good childhood memories and longtime friends, Heejin however, didn’t have many of those. Therefore, the board only had a couple of motivational quotes, sticky notes with all the important dates she must remember, a list of places highlighted in yellow – places she shouldn’t go unless she wanted to have a pretty bad headache – and some pictures, mainly featuring herself with her older sister, Jinsol.

She tensed up, waiting for the questions she knew were about to come. It was foolish, she soon realized, after all Hyunjin never acted like everyone else.

_ This girl is really something. Who keeps so many family pictures? _ Hyunjin thought to herself, biting her lips to refrain from saying it out loud. She expected that someone as friendly as Jeon to have many friends, but the lack of pictures and the fact that she would waste so much time following her around campus showed it wasn’t the case. Kim couldn’t quite understand the reason for it. Yes, Heejin was kind of nerd and often looked like a lost puppy, but she was someone easy to get along with, otherwise how could she have convinced Kim to actually befriend her? – Wait, were they even friends? She wasn’t used to the sound of it yet.

The younger girl declined her offer with a wave. **“All you do is try to feed me. Are you trying to date or adopt me?”**

Jeon shrugged with a small smile, with a hint of relief. **“Well, you do get a little less grumpy when you are eating. Specially the cream buns we had yesterday, you almost looked like a happy kid.” **

Hyunjin felt the tips of her eyes burning again and cursed the girl mentally. Maybe that was why that _Club Leader_ wannabe didn’t have many friends, she was too good at noticing every little embarrassing thing someone do – Heejin was both the most adorable and annoying person she had ever met.

** “So, you don’t want anything?” ** Hyunjin could swear she heard a subtle teasing tone in her sweet voice, even though Jeon looked as innocent as ever – They were really becoming close if she felt like she could make fun of her like that.

With an annoyed sigh Hyunjin dropped her bag on Heejin’s bed, sitting down. **“Bring me some of those cream buns, I need sugar for this studying thing.”**

The muffled giggle she heard next was impossible to miss. 

Hyunjin sighed. With so many people in this world, how come the curse picked for her such person?

* * *

Heejin probably missed being around people more than she thought. 

Otherwise, why would she have so much fun studying with her grumpy buddy that would complain about how boring everything was every five minutes and spend the rest of the time chewing on all the candy she could find? Why else would she start to think Hyunjin’s little antics were so endearing? One way or another, Jeon liked this feeling – to the point she didn’t even feel uncomfortable with the way the other girl stared at her in such an intense way when she thought she wasn’t paying attention.

Hyunjin was very sharp when she wasn’t so busy hating on every subject, she was able to grasp things quickly when she wanted to – what wasn’t the case. She would get perfect grades in literature anyway, all thanks to her little _trick_. If she wanted to, she could even do the same for every class. But it wasn’t like she wanted to get a degree now, college was more of a thing she did only to give her a sense of normality – to some extent. 

And now, it was also her main connection to Heejin, this was the reason why she agreed on studying instead of going back home and spending her time eating bread and cleaning up. 

Leaning on one elbow, resting her chin on her hand, she could contemplate the brown-haired girl freely. She tried to notice anything out of the ordinary. Heejin had a small pout on her face as she read though one of the work books, a furrow between her brows showing how concentrated she was in the task. Her pretty, chocolate brown eyes were hidden by her eye smile half of the time, were very open now, taking every word she read – Jeon was someone who worked hard, unlike herself, and it was a bit intimidating, but admirable at the same time. 

She lowered her gaze, letting it travel to the small spot under the girl’s eye, a little – like everything about her, was weirdly cute. 

But she tried to ignore it, focusing on something else, something more important. Heejin had a silver chain around her neck, it was probably holding some kind of heavy pendant that Jeon hid inside her shirt. Kim was pretty sure that the pendant must be somehow connected with the bracelet she received. 

A little research confirmed her theory that the crystals on it weren’t average jewelry, but stones that were used to deflect evil spirits. It was oddly specific, and only two kinds of people would carry that kind of thing around: Crazy horror movie fanatics or people that actually had a reason to fear the dead. Hyunjin was inclined to think Heejin was the latter. And the fact that the girl had decided to randomly pop up in front of her in a particularly _heavy_ day, under a very suspicious excuse, made her think that perhaps this girl had more to her than you average college kid.

** “Let’s get out of here!” **

Heejin blinked, surprised by Hyunjin’s sudden interruption. To be completely honest, all that reading was making her a little sleepy and she should be glad Kim didn’t let her fall asleep over the book – it didn’t mean the raven needed to close the book and take it away before Jeon had any say on it. 

** “What do you mean? Do you want to take a break? We can watch something or…” ** She tried to argue, but the younger woman was already on her feet, ready to move.

** “Yes, let’s call it a break _and_ get out of here.” ** Kim was now looking for something in her bag –money, Heejin figured as she saw the girl pocket it carelessly. 

The brunette stood up awkwardly, trying to organize all their working books while Hyunjin impatiently urged her to get ready quickly. Jeon put back on her comfy jacket and searched for something to fix her hair, wondering where on earth Hyunjin was planning on going, but she stopped mid motion as her eyes caught a glimpse of the window where the indigo blue night sky was visible through the glass.

Heejin bit down on her bottom lip, feeling a knot of nervousness forming in her stomach. 

** “I-I would rather to stay. I don’t really like going out at night.” ** She decided that admitting the truth was the easiest way to convince the other. 

She was clearly wrong.

** “And why not? It’s Friday, you are not a college student if you don’t go out once in a while.” ** Kim grabbed her by the hand, giving her no space to run away, dragging her towards the exit door. 

Heejin hold onto her tighter, uneasiness washing over her. **“Wait, Hyunjin. I don’t know what you want to do, but I’m sure we can do it tomorrow. To be honest, I’m already sleepy and…”**

** “You will figure out when we go there!” ** Again, Kim cut her off, a large mischievous grin on the raven-haired face. No doubt she was planning something and Heejin wasn’t sure she was going to like it. **“Don’t worry, I’ll be with you all the time. Trust me like I trusted you that day.”**

Heejin took a deep breath, her gaze going back and forth between the closed door to Hyunjin’s face. She knew the night was never a pleasant time for someone like her, that it was more likely for her to come across some lingering spirits on the darkness of the streets than during the day. Yet, there was something about Kim’s slightly cold, but tight grip on her hand and the look on the girl’s face…Something that made her want to believe and trust her.

And no matter how dumb it was, she did. 

* * *

They had taken a bus, the ten minutes ride filled only by the sounds of the transit and Hyunjin’s eventual ‘We are almost there’, as Heejin was too lost in her own thoughts to talk. The taller didn’t let go of Heejin’s warm and soft hand not even for a second, not only because the contact was somehow pleasant, but also because she could feel how anxious the girl was getting and the least she could do was to give her some support – Heejin would glance at her occasionally and the younger girl would only smirk in reply, squeezing her hand in a comforting way.

The bus left them near a busy street full of people, Hyunjin guiding the other girl through the crowd. She knew the place like the back of her hand since she used to skip school to visit here. It was full of small business, restaurants, karaoke rooms, arcades…The perfect place for teenagers with little money and too much time in their hands.

She dragged Heejin to one of the karaoke places, a particular empty one with pretty low prices in comparison to the rest. The place was in bad condition, what was no surprise considering how little customers they still had. Usually the only people who would willing come there were the ones that were too drunk to realize where they were, or naïve kids that thought they hit the jackpot by saving a couple of bucks – Hyunjin didn’t fit the profile, but she had a good reason to go there.

Kim asked for a room in specific, what was something pretty suspicious, but Heejin didn’t pay attention to it. Instead, her eyes darted around the place, searching for something – the little shiver going through her body now was enough for her to know that were something else there. She couldn’t shake the feeling of someone, or better saying, _something,_ was watching her since the moment they stepped into the place.

After paying, they walked towards the room at the back of the place, Hyunjin leading the way and opening the door to show the small space decorated with a tacky wallpaper, a red couch and an old television connected to a karaoke system. The room smelled like mold, as if no one had been there in a long time – Heejin wished she hadn’t to come neither. 

** “Hyunjin, I thought you had something different in mind. I didn’t know you liked singing.”  ** She managed to say after taking a deep breath, her question had a hint of suspicion on it, but at the same time she knew she was probably overthinking. After all, why would Hyunjin bring her here if she didn’t like that kind of place? Still, it didn’t quite match the image she always had from the other brunette.

** “Why?”  ** Hyunjin had been told many times how annoying her smirk could be, but right now she couldn’t help it. Heejin was way too close, clinging onto her like she was ready to hide behind her any time – What was about to happen, if Kim’s theory was right. “**Don’t you like it here? They have the best prices.”** A small part of her felt guilty for doing it, but a much bigger part was confident that she was only doing what she needed to do if she wanted to understand why Heejin’s was in her life now. Albeit she promised to herself that she would be as careful as possible and make sure to keep her promise to Heejin, protecting her from whatever they could find in that place.

** “No, I just…” ** Was it really possible that Hyunjin couldn’t feel how eerie the atmosphere of that room was? Heejin was pretty sure the reason why that place was empty was due to that. Kim was smart and observant, she didn’t need to have a supernatural gift to know that something was off. Therefore, why was she pretending to not notice? Maybe being surrounded by _shadows_ had affected her basic perception of things. **“It’s really stuffy in here. I would rather to go to one of the food stalls we saw on the way here.”**

Kim finally broke the contact, letting go of Heejin’s hand to reach for the TV remote and get the songs catalog. Heejin felt another shiver ran through her body, stronger this time. She hugged herself, trying to control the urge of getting out of that place. 

** “Don’t worry, today’s date is on me. We can go to other places later, but I need to relieve some stress before.”  ** Hyunjin said in a light tone, pretending to be paying attention to the task of picking a song in the karaoke machine playlist, even if she stole some glances at Heejin from time to time.

Jeon was looking as uncomfortable as it gets, her usual smile was nowhere to be seen, her lips pressed together in a tight line., her gentle brown eyes looking at every corner of the room. She hadn’t even taken a seat, probably ready to run as soon as she saw something out of ordinary.

It was going as Hyunjin’s planned. But it wasn’t enough yet. 

There was a chance Heejin might have heard about the place before and if she was indeed some sort of horror fanatic, she probably knew all the story regarding the fire that happened decades ago, supposedly causing the death of a drunk man that had passed out in that very own room. 

Hyunjin needed actual proof that the other girl had some sort of supernatural ability. That’s why she sat down, grabbing the sleeve of the girl’s jacket to make her do the same. She picked a ballad to sing, hoping the rumors were correct and the ghost would pop up as soon as she finished it.

The younger girl clearly was not putting any effort in her singing, only screaming randomly at the mic, and Heejin wouldn’t be the one to try to help her right now. The brown haired could feel the room becoming more and more gloomy as the song went on. The temperature was going down by the minute, making Heejin hold on to her thick jacket, it was almost like someone had purposely turned off the heater in the middle of winter – She wasn’t new to this kind of trick, but it didn’t mean the experience was any more pleasant. 

The kind of spirit that usually did this sort of thing were the angry ones that still couldn’t accept their tragic deaths, so they would attach themselves to places, trying to feed on the energy of the living while simultaneously taking revenge on them – whether or not these people had anything to do with the ghost’s unfortunate situation.

Heejin’s hand reached for her pendant. She always had it on when she was around Hyunjin, afraid the _shadows_ could appear once again and she would be an easy target now that the other girl was under the protection of her bracelet – it definitely looked like she _could_ _use_ some protection now. But the spirit in this room wasn’t something as powerful as the ones that latched onto the raven. It had a human soul, the fragments of it at least, and Heejin could feel the anger and grudge it carried. 

The song was coming to an ending, the melody fading into the dense air of the room. On the opposite wall, right behind the TV, a silhouette was slowly raising from the ground. Shades of black, brown and grey were mixed, the colors becoming more intense as the silhouette of a man appeared. He was wearing a suit, a tie loosely tied around his neck. His shoulders were curved, making him look shorter than he really was. His face, now well formed, revealing a swollenness around the cheeks and a mouth perpetually open showing yellow teeth. His eyes, dark and bright, were partially covered by thick oily black hair. 

He stumbled forward, his steps unstable as he tried to reach them.

He was drunk when he died, Heejin figured, holding even tighter onto Hyunjin’s hand and standing up. She didn’t want to blow off her cover as normal college kid, but she couldn’t risk their safety for it either. The spirit was attached to that room, otherwise it wouldn’t have waited so long to show itself.

They had to go, and they had to do it now.

** “Hyunjin, let’s go! I’m not feeling well, I’m…” ** She stole a glance at the spirit, shutting her eyes close as she noticed it was looking right back at her. **“Please, come on!”**

However, Hyunjin didn’t do as she was said. Instead, she calmly put the mic aside, following Heejin gaze with her own.

** “Calm down, Heejin. We are almost done.” ** She slowly stood up, taking her time to fix her hair in delicate motions, never letting go of Heejin’s soft hand. She was gaining some time.

Kim couldn’t see it, different from Heejin she didn’t have such gift. But she had something much more dangerous and no lowly spirit could handle her powers. The curse had made her weak, susceptible to those creatures that were no more than blurs without a mind she could control. However, she wasn’t as powerless now, Heejin’s presence was making her stronger and she would take advantage of it.

Her fingers started to tap on her thigh, slowly gaining speed as she concentrates. 

Hyunjin glared at the wall that had caught the brunette’s attention, she let her mind project itself, searching for the spirit’s energy – Dead or not, every human had a conscience, and as long as it still existed to some extent, she would be able to manipulate it. As soon as she felt its presence, her smirk evolved to a large grin as her mind quickly invaded what was left of the ghost’s conscience. 

_ ‘Get out!’ _ she said through her mind, the message hitting the target with more than the force of words, but with her will to push the ghost away. Ghosts weren’t like living humans, they didn’t have as much will power, usually they were ruled by the most basic emotions like anger or sadness. Hyunjin had her own fair share of anger, she wasn’t going to be intimidated by anyone. _‘Don’t come back!’ _Reinforcing her warning, she sent out another strong wave of commands.

Heejin, who couldn’t see the invisible battle, only the weird actions of her friend, tried to pull the raven towards the exit. However, she stopped as soon as she noticed that the figure was no long approaching. It was quite the opposite. The ghost flinched, stepping back as if he had been hit by a strong punch. The room was also rapidly changing, the temperature going up as the atmosphere became less dense. The ghost was losing his power over the place and his own form, slowly crumbling into a cloud of smoke.

In all her life Heejin had never experience such a thing. Not even when she asked for the help of monks or priests. And now a ghost was being banned by the mere glare of that girl?! 

** “Yay! I knew it, you don’t need to sing well, just loud enough and _baam_! Perfect score!” ** Hyunjin excited exclamation took Heejin by surprise. Only now she noticed the big ‘100 points’ on the TV screen. So, all along the raven had only been staring at the television? She didn’t have anything to do with whatever happened? Heejin was having a hard time processing all that.

Kim let out a small giggle. Her plan had gone exactly as expected and now she was sure Heejin was no average human. She would make sure to keep it in mind.

Thanks to Heejin she felt like she had a chance of defeating the curse. And even if she didn’t, it was still such a relief to be able to live a bit longer without dealing with all the nasty effects of the curse – Jeon might not know yet, but in the moment she decided to help her, she had given herself a very important role on Hyunjin’s future and put her own in danger. 

The raven didn’t plan on ruining that innocent girl’s life, albeit she knew that keeping her company would only make things harder for the brunette. That’s why she would try and find a way to help her as well, as a silent ‘thank you’.

** “Come on, Heekie! Food is on me!” **

* * *

Heejin still couldn’t ignore what happened at the karaoke room. Hyunjin had dragged her outside, gifting her with all the street food they could find, looking like she was in the best of the moods. However, the older girl was struggling to understand what was happening.

She wasn’t a fool, she knew Kim had set her up. Hyunjin had picked that place for a reason, and although Jeon didn’t know the reason why yet, she knew that the raven was not the type that does things without a purpose.

But at the same time, she couldn’t really prove anything. Perhaps Kim hadn’t even noticed anything wrong with the place, most people couldn’t feel or see that kind of stuff. And Hyunjin was only a normal kid, right?

Still, she felt uneasy.

**“Aren’t you eating that? Come on, try it. It’s not like me to pay for other people’s food, so you should enjoy when I do.”** The dark-haired girl’s voice echoed, followed by the appearance of a large bowl of chips that she had pushed in front of Jeon.

Heejin blinked, realizing that her own food was going cold while Kim had nearly finished eating.

When they first met Heejin was worried about the raven’s health, now she had regained her appetite and was fully enjoying everything – Actually, looking at her, Kim seem to be in a much better condition.

**“Sorry. I guess I’m still feeling a bit sick.”** She tried to flash her a smile, before picking one of the chips to taste it. It was good, but a bit soggy due to all the ketchup Hyunjin has poured over it.

A moment of silence passed, as both were busy chewing on their own meals.

Hyunjin risked to take a look at the girl, feeling uncomfortable that her usually talkative and bright friend had become so quiet all of sudden. She could feel the guilt slowly burdening her shoulders – **Yes**, she knew that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience for the other woman, but she thought it wouldn’t be so bad since nothing really happened.

However, Heejin’s conflicted look was enough to tell that it had been far worse for her.

It was too soon to tell her about what she really was and her reasons to act like that, but she felt she owned some kind of apology.

**“Er…Sorry about earlier. I thought it would be fun to go to a haunted place and stuff, you know, we could laugh at how fake it was and all that.”** Kim managed to say, scratching the back of the neck with a sudden wave of embarrassment and guilt. She wasn’t sure why she cared so much, why having Heejin mad at her gave her made her so uncomfortable, but she felt the need of fixing it. **“****It wasn’t even haunted in the ending.”** An awkward nasal chuckle, also a result of her newly discovered guilt filled persona. **“I’m sorry anyway. We can do anything you want now!”**

Heejin sighed, a bit relieved that it was all that Kim had in mind by bringing her to such place. She didn’t think it was a very nice thing to do, but she knew Hyunjin wasn’t the type that apologized often, therefore she decided to accept her word. **“Next time just ask me, okay? I’m not very good with surprises.”**

**“Deal.”** She nodded solemnly, making sure to look into Heejin’s eyes so she could see she meant her words. **“So, what now?”**

**“Thank you. We can just go back home.”** This time her smile was sincere, staying mad at her new friend wasn’t nice for her either, she liked it much better when they were just having their silly discussions about food and anime, instead of that awkward silence from earlier. **“Wait, you said we could do _anything_ I wanted?”**

Hyunjin frowned, realizing she might have made a mistake. **“Hm, yeah? What you want to do?”**

And there it was again, the huge, beautiful eye smile that always precedes Heejin’s musical giggles. **“I have an idea. Let’s go home!”**

* * *

Hours later, watching the ending of the longest movie she had ever seen – Or at least what looked like it – Hyunjin understood she shouldn’t underestimate Heejin’s revenge skills.

Hyunjin would try her best to never anger the brunette again, she wasn’t sure she could handle another musicals marathon again – or ever worse, a full anime marathon. Although she had to admit that watching Heejin’s adorable reactions to every scene was somewhat endearing. For someone who usually didn’t care about anyone but herself, she was becoming rather attached to that _Club Leader_ wannabe.

**“So, how did you like the movie? It wasn’t so bad, was it?” ** Heekie asked, looking at her like a excited little bunny – how could she say she didn’t like musicals again?

Honestly, the first two were okay, now the third one had almost killed her from boredom. She decided to keep these thoughts to herself, not wanting Jeon to starting pouting again and make her watch all her favorite scenes of the Greatest Showman for the third time.

**“It wasn’t so bad until you started crying while singing along to that one song at the end.”** She teased, bumping her shoulder against the girl’s in a playful way.

Heejin gave her the least threatening glare, returning the gesture. **“I know you wanted to sing along too. You are just shy.”**

**“Yes, sure. Whatever.”** She rolled her eyes, unable to hide a small smile. Yes, she wasted her Friday night in a very nerd way, but deep down she had to admit it was much more fun than to stay at home drowning in all in her own loneness and feeling the old walls of the ancient house closing in around her in the eerie atmosphere it developed in the last few months.

**“It’s too late to go home now. I will make you a bed and you can go wash up first, okay?”** Heejin said, standing up from the place on the floor where they had been laying down on a bed of cushions to watch the movies.

Hyunjin nodded, standing up to do as she was told. It was weird how natural it felt, as if they had been friends for a long time and not only acquaintances in a very odd relationship. She never even liked sleeping at other people’s house, but she couldn’t deny how comfortable was to be around Heejin and how safe she felt there. It was probably the curse messing up with her mind. However, knowing it didn’t make the feeling any less pleasant, nor made her want to leave.

Heejin waited until Kim went into the bathroom to get some extra blankets in the closet, careful to not let any of her artefacts fall off of the box she had precariously placed in the top shelf. She got her pajamas and one for Hyunjin too, knocking on the bathroom door to hand it to her.

She changed into her own pajamas, proceeding to set up Hyunjin’s bed and she was nearly done when the girl came out of the bathroom wearing the blue pajamas that had a cute cat pattern on it. Heejin thought she looked rather adorable, but by the way the girl was looking at her own pants with a funny expression on her face, it would be better to not say it aloud.

Her smile turned into a yawn, her body finally starting to give in after such a long day. She would go to bed early almost every day, and when she didn’t, she would always feel terribly tired and barely able to keep her eyes open. It was almost a miracle that she spent so much time up without feeling the need of taking a nap in the middle of the movie marathon.

It was the first time she had invited someone over, and even though they weren’t friends for too long, it didn’t feel awkward. Perhaps, Heejin was getting used to the younger girl’s strong personality – and well, they did watch _six hours_ of musicals, there was no better way to bond than this.

Hyunjin was already sitting on her bed, ready to sleep when she came back from brushing her teeth, and Heekie smiled at her. Usually she would feel scared during the night, hoping that she could fall asleep fast before anything could bother her. But with Hyunjin there, she felt as there was no need to rush, as if having the raven there would be enough to keep away the bad spirits.

She went to bed, covering herself and getting ready to turn off the only source of light that was her bedside lamp

**“Do you always ask people to sleep with you on the second date?”** Hyunjin said all of sudden, and this time she was able to make Jeon blush. But it was soon covered by her grin and the sound of her laugh.

**“Good night, Hyunjin!”** Heejin said before turning the lights off.

**“Good night, Heejin…And by the way, I’ll take it as a ‘yes’!”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again, yes I’m late wbk. Sorry about the mistakes, thanks for reading!


	5. Charms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks/Dreams are in italic. Good read!

_Her quick steps could be heard hitting hard the ground below as she tried to move as fast as possible. She should’ve obeyed her older sister’s, Jinsol, orders and wait for her to finish her club activities so they could head home together as usual. But Heejin was in that age where children want to prove their independence and do things on their own, therefore she left alone to take the short path that lead to her house a couple of streets away. However, now she regretted this decision with all her might._

_Occasionally, to her family and her own despair, she would see things that no one else could. Her parents hated when she spoke about it, they would rather pretend it was only her “weird phase”; while her grandmother would blame her for the “lack of faith” and drag her to churches where she would only see more unpleasant things instead of being cured. Jinsol was the only one who didn’t make her feel bad about it, she didn’t really believe in that kind of stuff, but she would still hug her and keep her company when Heejin was scared. She wished her sister was there now._

_It was day time and the little brown-haired girl foolishly thought it would be fine as long as the sun was out illuminating her path – she was so wrong. Jeon had only walked for a couple of minutes before she felt a strong gaze on her, one that no matter how many times she looked over her shoulder, she wouldn’t be able to spot its owner. And for her dismay, there were barely any people in the streets to make her feel a little more comfortable. _

_A shiver creeped down her body, prompting her to sprint. Heejin considered to turn around and go back to the school, but she didn’t want to risk having to face whatever the thing that was following her was. _

_Her house was only two streets away now, however it seemed so ridiculously far away as she heard footsteps matching hers – once again, when she stole a glance over her shoulder, there was no one there. Soon a low, deep female voice was heard, sounding dangerously close to her ears. The voice kept on talking, Heejin couldn’t comprehend a single word, but she still felt the emotions that emanated from it, the whispers were full of bitterness and rage. The woman, if Jeon could call the creature like that, whispers were getting louder, slowly turning into screams._

_The kid hugged herself, trying to shield herself and ignore the cold that the thing that followed her brought. She was shivering so much that her teeth hard sank into her bottom lip, making it bleed. A satisfied laugh was heard, this time as loud as if the woman was actually in front of her, as if the thing was enjoying her pain._

_She bumped into something, stopping walking. She didn’t need to raise her gaze to know the woman had finally appeared to her and it was never a good sign. The woman had her skin in a sickly greenish tone, her face and neck stained by large patches of dried blood that made her grey dress become almost black. The creature in front of her didn’t have a real body anymore, she was a spirit, a furious ghost – Heejin had learned that sometimes they could appear as real as she was and this was where the danger lays._

_The young Jeon tried to take a step back, preparing to run for her life. However, the ghost grabbed her by the shoulder before she could do anything. Bony fingers pressed so hard against her skin that the girl squealed in pain, struggling to free herself of the tight grip. The woman’s grip only grew stronger, ripping the fabric of the school’s uniform and burying her nails onto the soft skin of Heejin’s shoulder, drawing blood as it ripped the skin. _

_Heejin was now crying, her screams for help were suffocated for the shaken sobs that she couldn’t control due to the unbearable pain. She had met her fair share of malicious ghosts, but they had never been able to hurt her like that. The ghost in front of her was stronger, older than anything she had faced before, and it clearly had only one thing in mind._

_She screamed louder as the woman throw her roughly against a wall, her bones breaking with the impact. _

_She was going to die._

_Heejin closed her eyes tightly, feeling the pain taking over her conscious as she prayed for it to end quickly._

However, soon the red under her closed eyelids became grey as she felt a firm, yet gentle hand grabbing her arm.

Suddenly there was no pain, only a familiar voice shouting her name.

**“Heejin! Wake up!” **

Her eyes finally flicked open, allowing her to see the white ceiling through the dim light that illuminated the room. She sat down, her head spinning due to the quick motion, taking fast and unsteady breaths. She could feel Hyunjin’s presence near her, but Heejin was still too connected to the nightmare to acknowledge her friend.

Jeon touched her shoulder, feeling the smooth skin under her pajama shirt. Taking a look at herself she confirmed that there was not even a drop on blood. No matter how realistic the nightmare was, it was not real. Nonetheless, it was still capable of making her shiver just thinking about it.

Those were memories – _her_ memories – but they weren’t accurate. In that day the spirit hadn’t touched her, Jinsol was there before the ghost had the chance and like _they_ usually did, she had disappeared as soon as the other girl appeared. Soul had saved her in time, and even though she had cried hard in her sister’s arms, she was physically unharmed.

It wasn’t unusual for her to have nightmares, but never like that. Earlier she felt scared facing the spirit of that man in the karaoke room, albeit it was far of how terrified she felt in the nightmare. Besides, she had experienced things far worse, so it couldn’t have affected her to the point of generating such bad dream, could it? She held the pendant on her necklace tight, trying to get some comfort from the warm stone.

Hyunjin was rather confused with what was going. She was in a deep, peaceful sleep when Heejin’s soft cries woke her up. The raven haired felt a bit surprised seeing how affected by a dream the girl was and therefore she did her best to wake Heejin up. Even after the girl was totally awake and aware, it was clear that the dream had taken a toll on her.

Kim was never a sensitive type, but seeing the older girl so shaken was something that really disturbed her. Was it her fault? Maybe because of the whole karaoke incident? Or even for the solely fact that she was around? She closed her hands into fists, feeling guilt wash over her for the second time that night.

**“Sorry about it. I’m just tired and I watch too much TV…”** Heejin said with a tight-lipped smile that didn’t resemble at all her usual large grin. Hyunjin stared at her for a second before involving her in a tight hug, one that hopefully would help bring a bit of comfort. She didn’t say anything for a while, only caressing Heejin’s back until she felt the girl relax and her breathing become a little steadier.

**“Do you always get nightmares?”** The younger woman asked, although she didn’t wait for a reply before completing. Pulling away a bit and giving Jeon an assertive nod, she decided. **“I should sleep here more often then.”**

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before giving her a smile that was more like her usual one. **“Do you always offer to move in with people on the second date?”** Heejin teased imitating Hyunjin’s usual tone.

For her surprise, the younger woman didn’t reply with some quirk remark, instead she only shrugged. **“Apparently now I do. You need someone to watch over you.”**

Another moment of silence followed, this time a comfortable one as Heejin felt the sincerity in the other girl’s voice. She was used to look after herself, especially now that Jinsol was living in another country and she had to pretend everything was okay for the rest of the family, having someone to lean on didn’t see that bad at all – although Hyunjin still didn’t know what exactly she was dealing with and Heejin would have to be extra careful to not let her know.

The brunette nodded slowly. **“I would like that, Hyunjinie.”**

Hyunjin smiled, shoving her shoulder lightly**. “No nicknames, Club Leader!”**

* * *

The young librarian gave her an amused look, her white bunny smile shining in the dark night. **“If anyone told me Kim Hyunjin would be our best customer ever, I wouldn’t have believed.” **

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, gesturing for the girl to open up the passage already.

**“But here we are. Again!”** Of course, the irony was too great for Ha Sooyoung to ignore it. She was completely unbothered by Kim’s menacing look, knowing fully well that the younger girl was all talk and no action. Besides, she was pretty sure she was the closest thing that kid had of a friend at the moment.

**“Shut up, Ha. I need to research some stuff and you are supposed to help, not block my way with your big head.”** Hyunjin replied with exasperation as she lightly pushed the girl aside so she could enter the small hall and climb down the stairs that would take her to the actual library.

Sooyoung let out an annoyed groan – that kid wasn’t one to talk about head sizes.. **“Careful, Kim. Or I might deny your entry and you will have to wait until next month. Or you forgot about this little detail?”**

The younger girl forced a smile, turning around to face Ha that was still lazily climbing down the stairs, much slower than usual, just to annoy her. Hyunjin silently cursed that old place with its ridiculous rules and its annoying librarian. **“I could never forget about it. Can you, please, let me in, my dearest friend?”**

**“It’s my pleasure, kiddo.”** The taller woman chuckled lightly, proceeding to open the door that could only be opened by the rightful guardian, currently better known as herself. She would never stop finding it funny that out of all people Kim Hyunjin was the one that would visit her every month and spend the longest hours searching for ancient books and bothering her for help with translations.

She only wished that kid wasn’t forced to do so for such a dark reason.

Slowly the grin on Sooyoung’s smile faded away, as they both watched the numerous locks that protected the place unlock itself to let them in. The ground below opens up to show more steps, an eerie path that would lead them to the real entrance. Sooyoung took the lead, walking the path she knew by heart.

Hyunjin quickly followed, her eyes darting through the place for a brief moment before the girl head to the left side of the place, letting herself go deeper into the library, towards the one shelf that hold the secrets to her new life.

Sooyoung didn’t follow, albeit keeping an eye on the younger girl while she occupied herself with checking the registry book and prepare for the long night ahead. If any other person came over to visit, she would be glued to them, making sure they wouldn’t do anything reckless or get lost in the nearly infinite corridors of the place. That library was no average place, even for the very special people that had access to it, it could still be their last destination if they weren’t well guided. Although, Hyunjin no longer needed such guidance.

Born as a Kim, Hyunjin always knew about the existence of that place, and it was normal for the ones of her kind to visit that place at least once. The raven-haired girl, however, had never been much of a reader. The curse had changed it about her.

Her fingers touched the books in the middle shelf, feeling the little bumps of the books’ outer covers, looking for a certain green worn out one. The book was in its usual place, smaller than the others around it, it wasn’t hard to spot. The girl picked it up, she didn’t bother to read the silver letters on the cover, already aware of what it said – it was her own surname engraved.

It was a bit ironic that her family book wasn’t safe at the Kim’s house, it instead was kept hidden in that library that would only open once a month during the dark nights. If the curse didn’t exist, she probably would never have laid a finger on it.

In the last couple of months, she had read that book as if it was her own sacred one – looking for answers, for hope, for _anything_ that could save her. At this point, she might as well know it by heart, but still Hyunjin knew she couldn’t waste the chance of finding some small detail that she might have missed in the other forty-two times she read it.

The young woman flipped through the pages, her fingers running through the words until she found the right section. Usually she would focus on the part about how the curse would _always_ lead to death – what wasn’t something very pleasant to read, but she was used to it by now –, however, now she looked for the part about finding the right person that could save her. The book was brief about this, it would only say that once the person was in close contact with the cursed one, the curse’s effect would disappear momentarily giving you the chance of doing what was needed. The book was also very clear about the need to do it as fast as possible and to think about the ‘greater good’.

The so called greater good was the Kim family bloodline, that book was, after all, written by them and their ego was all over its pages.

Hyunjin, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about that family anymore. One of the many reasons why she decided to never take that part of the book in consideration.

She wanted to survive. The closer she gets of her next birthday, the more she feels the need to keep on living. But she wouldn’t do it at an innocent’s life expense – especially if this person was that Club Leader wannabe that was now her sort-of-friend.

**“Hm, different reading today, Hyunjin?”** Sooyoung asked, looking over her shoulder.

Kim had to bit her tongue to not curse out loud and reveal that the taller girl had indeed caught her by surprise. She must have been more immersed into her thoughts than she realized.

With a grimace Hyunjin closed the book, putting it back in the shelf. She would have to find something else.

**“Ha! Mind doing your job and help me out instead of being nosy?”** She shot a glare at the older woman.

Sooyoung’s reply was a light chuckle as she reached for another book, carefully picking it up and handing it to the raven. **“I found it a while ago. It might help you to understand how the curse was cast, perhaps it may be useful.” **

Hyunjin took the book, hugging it to her chest as if it was something precious – and it was, anything that could help her understand the curse was. Albeit she would only have a proper look at it later, now she needed something else.

**“Thanks. But I’m looking for something different tonight.”** She said, her gaze drifting to the shelf once more. **“I need the book about gifts…The vision blessing.”**

**“Vision? Your gift is very far from it...”** Ha gave her an interrogative look, full of suspicion.

**“I never said it was for me. I just need it. Not that it is any of your business**.” She was trying to sound as sarcastic as usual, but there was something about her tone that caught the librarian’s attention. _Damn_, spending time with Heejin was already affecting her social (in)ability. **“Go, go, librarian, do your work!”** Hyunjin tried to send her off with a wave.

Her tactic clearly backfired as Sooyoung’s eyes went straight to the bracelet on her wrist. **“An item for protection? You finally decided to do something about your condition other than spend money on bad medicine? Or maybe someone gave you this?” **

Kim took a step behind, shrugging her shoulders and hiding the bracelet under her sleeve again – A protection bracelet, of course, it was so Heejin. She should’ve thought about it earlier. **“Sooyoung, the books.”**

The older woman pressed her lips together, the suspicious in her gaze becoming even more intense. **“I’m only helping you because you promised you wouldn’t drag anyone else into this, Hyunjin. I hope you keep your promise.”**

Hyunjin let out an annoyed sigh. **“I always keep my word. Now give me the books.”**

Ha shook her head lightly, taking a moment to consider the request before going after the books the girl asked for. The silence reigned for a couple of minutes as Sooyoung looked for the books and Hyunjin tried to get any useful info out of her family book.

Finally, the librarian came back with a small book in hands. Although, she didn’t give it to the younger woman right away, instead she crossed her arms and faced her with inquisitive expression. **“So, how are you feeling now? Did things change?”**

Hyunjin rolled her eyes, she should’ve expected it. **“I feel…Good. _Oddly_ fine.”** She admitted with a smirk, opening the book that Sooyoung had finally handed her.

Sooyoung frowned, watching her with curiosity.** “And how did this even happen? Where did you meet him…Or is it a girl?”**

**“It’s a Club Leader.”** She replied with her characteristic tone, winning a light smack on the back of her head. Hyunjin glared at the Ha, but decided to answer properly before Sooyoung tried to kick her out of the place again. Damn luck of having a curious librarian as her only friend. **“Her name is Heejin, she goes to the same school as I do.”**

**“Heejin? Hm, quite a common name. Did she give you that?”** Ha said, touching the bracelet lightly, what made Hyunjin flinch. For some dumb, completely uncharacteristic sentimental reason, she felt very overprotective of the gift. **“Why?”**

**“I don’t know either. She is weird. She just goes around asking people to be her friend and giving them stuff.”** Hyunjin waved her free hand, in an exasperated gesture. It was hard to understand how the mind of someone so different worked and it still puzzled her.

**“She sounds…Actually really nice! You met someone nice!”** Sooyoung turned around to face the girl with renewed curiosity and genuine joy. She couldn’t recall the last time she saw Kim hanging out with nice people, maybe because it had never happened before.

Sooyoung was fully aware of the curse’s mechanisms and how dangerous that relationship could be, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit a bit excited for her friend. Hyunjin had changed quite a bit in the last couple of months, revealing an altruistic side Sooyoung never thought she had. The younger girl was going through a lot, she deserved a bit of hope and care. **“Is she a _Caster_ as well?”**

Hyunjin didn’t answer immediately, her eyes glued to the book, not only because she didn’t want to face Sooyoung’s dumb maternal smile, but also because she had finally found something interesting.

The page filled with elegant handwrite described the existence of “Gifted Ones” between the average population. People that weren’t _Casters_ like herself, but still possessed some sort of connection to magic. Her interested was in one type of Gifted One in particular, the ones that could see creatures that weren’t part of human world any longer.

**“No. She just sees more than she should.”** She said finally, pointing out the lines in the book that described how humans who had this particular gift usually had very unpleasant lives.

**“So, you think she noticed your condition and came to help?” **Sooyoung always had been quick to understand things.

The raven nodded, before going back to flip the pages of the book. **“I think I’ll accept that book about protective charms now.”**

Ha could’ve teased the girl about how contradictory of her it was to suddenly ask for it now after spending months refusing to resort to it. But she didn’t. It was clear that she wasn’t the one for whom the charm was for.

**“I guess we will have a long night ahead. Go back to my desk, you will have a lot of stuff to write down.”**

* * *

Hyunjin slid to the place next to Heejin on the bench, taking her by surprise. The older woman was too busy chewing on her lunch to greet her properly, but she gave her an energetic wave, gesturing to the food on the table as a signal to Hyunjin to join the lunch.

Nearly a month into their friendship, having lunch together became their own tradition, and Kim was even making the effort of meeting the girl half away instead of making Heejin meet her on the other side of the campus. That relationship brought a kind of pleasant routine that she had never experienced before and the girl was learning to appreciate it.

Every day she was greeted by the brunette’s warm smile and they would just eat and talk about how their classes or about the movies they would watch on the weekend. They had reached the point where they would text each other every night and Hyunjin would only feel at ease when Heejin replied with her usual ‘good night’ message that always came along with a different colored heart. She would also sleep over at Jeon’s place as much as she could, her sharp earing detecting anything out of normal and comforting Heejin in her sleep before the girl could wake up due to the nightmares.

Hyunjin never thought about that aspect of the curse, about the power it could have over her by making her so attached to someone so quickly – Because it had to be the curse, right? Otherwise wouldn’t make sense that she was so fond of someone with who she had nearly nothing in common with. She really wonders how her father and all the family members before him could fulfil this awful task. Hyunjin couldn’t even stand the idea of letting Heejin near any danger. She would never be able to become the one to bring her harm…Or at least she hoped she would not.

Shaking off the unpleasant thoughts, she focused on the other girl again.

**“You eat like a rabbit, no wonder your cheeks are getting puffier!”** She teased poking Heejin adorably chubby cheeks, laughing as Heejin pouted and complained about her rudeness.

**“If you came here just to insult me, you can go back and eat your nonexistent food back on your side of the campus!”** Heejin replied, her threat not matching the glimpse of playfulness in her eyes. She was used to Hyunjin ironic remarks and her teasing, she liked it a lot better than her sarcasm and grumpy expressions. Now it was a rare sight to spot Hyunjin looking gloomy, albeit the younger girl didn’t really seem to interact with anyone other than her and one of the upperclassmen that worked in the library – and Heejin still had no idea of who that girl was.

They were quite close now, and she had got used having Hyunjin around, and somehow, she started to rely on her presence. She didn’t like to have to hide a side of her from the girl, however it was too soon to tell her such a thing and risk their blooming friendship – Or their ‘flirting’ that Hyunjin seem to consider a thing. Luckily, things were much better lately and although she would spot one ghost or two every day, there were no _shadows_ and she was able to ignore it the rest most of the time. Of course, she would still avoid going out at night and going near any particularly _heavy_ place, but those were things she really couldn’t do anything about.

**“Since when looking like a cute rabbit became an insult?”** Hyunjin rolled her eyes, stealing a sip of Heejin’s drink. **“And I have something for you, so you better treat me nicely.”**

Heejin gave the raven a questioning look, by now she knew Hyunjin always had something in mind and today was no different. **“What do you mean? My birthday is still months away.”** Jeon put her plate aside, crossing her arms over the table and turning her body slightly to face the younger girl that had her signature smirk on her face.

Hyunjin moved on her sit, reaching for something in her bag. It took her a whole minute to go through all the useless things that she kept in there and forgot to throw away, until she found the small package. It wasn’t in some cute velvet box, instead only a simple paper bag that Hyunjin nonchalantly opened and poured out the content on Heejin’s open hand. It might have seen like a rude behavior, but she was never good at this kind of stuff, besides Sooyoung was rather adamant about the fact that she shouldn’t touch the object until the rightful owner had claimed it properly – magic was rather annoying sometimes with all those dumb rules.

Heejin left out a small exclamation of surprise as she observed the gift.

The item, a simple silver ring was heavier than it looked, made out of a very resilient material, it was thick enough to have an intricate pattern engraved on it. Fairly spaced, there was some tiny crystals the same color as the ones in Heejin’s necklace and on Hyunjin’s bracelet. It wasn’t that pretty, not in the classic way at least, but was definitely eye catching.

**“F-For me?”** She never thought about Kim as the type that would choose to give that kind of gift out of nowhere, if at all. But she couldn’t deny that she really wanted to have the ring, it was almost like the object was calling for her and she was more than willing to accept its request.

**“Calm down, is not _that_ type of ring! I’m just repaying you for the bracelet…You can think about it as a couple item if you like though**.” Hyunjin smirk grew into a mischievous grin. Only the gods and Sooyoung knew how hard she had worked on that ring, hours and hours of study to find the perfect spell and days to create the ring and infuse all the magic in it. More than an accessory, the ring would bring protection to Heejin, not only from ghosts and other supernatural beings, but also from herself. The ring was meant to block her abilities as long as she had it on her finger.

Heejin let out a soft laugh, closing her hand carefully around the ring and bringing it closer to her chest. It was childish, but she could feel warmth spreading through her cheeks and a smile growing on her face. She loved the ring, not only for its oddly alluring quality, but also for the fact that Hyunjin had actually took some time to pick it for her, it showed a lot of care and thoughtfulness – something Heejin rarely had received.

**“Thank you, Hyunjinie. I’ll use it every day!”** She opened her hand to put the ring properly on her finger.

Hyunjin watched over her with attention, wondering if anything out of the ordinary would happen once she had it on, however, different from the movies and books, magic in real life was a rather boring thing and there were no bright lights, just a soft breeze hitting them. **“Use it at all times. _All_ _times_. Can you promise me, Heejin?”**

Heejin had felt a weird sensation as the ring slid into her finger, fitting so perfectly as if it was made only for her. The feeling wasn’t unpleasant, it actually was a warm sensation that irradiated from her finger and slowly spread to her whole body. The breeze that hit her body after it felt incredible cold in comparison, making her get closer to the raven-haired girl and snuggle up to her, looking for some warmth.

**“All the time?”** She gave the girl a confused look, wondering why Hyunjin’s tone was suddenly so solemn. Yes sure, she loved the ring, but she could be a little bit distracted and clumsy. However, Kim’s gaze was strong over her, and she couldn’t bring herself to deny the request. It was an important gift and she would take good care of it. **“Yes, sure. I liked it a lot.”**

Hyunjin hugged her by the shoulder, a proud smile on her face**. “I knew you would, I have great taste!”** Heejin rolled her eyes, not even a bit surprised with the cocky reply. However, she didn’t expect the gentle kiss on the cheek and the warm look that accompanied it.

Even with all the jokes and teasing, it was the first time that she felt like they could really be dating. And for someone like her, who had never experienced such a thing, it was hard to not feel giddy about it. The brunette could feel herself melting under the silver gaze, blushing so hard that she would have given in to her wishes and hide her face on the crook of the girl’s neck, if Hyunjin hadn’t spoken again and ruined the atmosphere.

**“It will be good for you. No more worries about going out at night or visiting karaoke rooms.”**

Jeon didn’t move, but she felt herself tensing up as she heard the younger woman. What exactly that meant? She had made sure that Hyunjin didn’t see anything suspicious at her house, but the raven could be rather sneaky at times. Could it be that she had seen all her protective items and thought she was some kind of horror fanatic? Or maybe she noticed her weird behavior at times and concluded that she was some kind of weirdo? Whatever the reason was, it didn’t make any sense that Hyunjin thought she could help her with that ring.

**“I’m not following, Hyunjin. What does it have to do with anything?”** Heejin tried to sound as composed as possible, even though fear started to creep its way up her body. Out of all people, she really didn’t want Hyunjin to think she was a crazy person and begin to treat her like her parents do.

Kim just hold the girl closer, caressing her back in swift motions to try and make her relax a bit. She wasn’t sure she had picked the right approach, but now it was too late to back down. **“It will help you to not have nightmares or…You know, see unpleasant things when I’m not around to look after you.”** She said slowly, trying to choose the right words this time.

**“What are you talking about? H-How do you even…”** Heejin was torn. Part of her wanted to stand up and leave Hyunjin behind before she had the chance of mocking her like the kids at school used to do as soon as they noticed that there was something off about her. Another part of her, the more rational one, was telling her to stay and face Kim, trusting the friendship they had built over the last couple of weeks would be stronger than her fears.

The rational part won, so she stayed, however she couldn’t say anything more, afraid of revealing something she shouldn’t.

**“It’s fine, you don’t need to tell me anything. Just keep the ring and it will be fine.”** Hyunjin knew sooner or later she would have to tell Heejin about the curse, and that also meant to reveal herself to her. But first, Jeon had to trust her or else she would just sound like a crazy and potentially dangerous person. **“There’s nothing wrong in being special, but I just thought you could use some time off.”**

Heejin took a deep breath, touching nervously the ring that was now placed on her finger. It was a magical artefact, one that she had never heard of, yet the other girl had found it and handed it out to her like it was nothing – Jeon realized she knew very little about the raven. **“For how long have you known about it?”**

Hyunjin gave shoulders. **“Always? You weren’t that slick using that restraint seal in our first date. Is not something that most girls have in their bags, you know?”**

**“You noticed it?”** The brunette bit down on her bottom lip, cursing herself mentally for being so dumb. From day one Hyunjin suspected her, no wonder she didn’t reject her invitations, she was probably just curious about her actions. **“So, you knew about the _shadows_ too?”**

**“If that is what you call them.” **The younger woman hesitated for a moment before nodding. **“I can’t see this kind of stuff, but let’s just say it felt like having a whole building taken off my shoulders.”**

Another moment of heavy silence fell over them. Heejin had so many questions, but she knew Hyunjin wasn’t going to tell her anything, or else she would have already.

**“Er, thanks though. You helped me more than you think**.” Kim finally said, that one awkward smile back as she squeezed the older girl’s shoulder with affection.

Heejin fought the smile that was trying to make its way to her lips. Hyunjin wasn’t that big on demonstrations of affection, perhaps that was the reason why even the small ones were able to make her soft.

Nonetheless, her mind was still pretty full to be so easily fooled.

**“You knew about my…My problem, and you still insisted on taking me to that awful place?” **She finally managed to get off of the hug, her voice sharper than ever before. Heejin could have a gentle and kind nature, but if didn’t mean she would accept to be played.

Hyunjin winced, surprised that her optimistic _Club Leader_ could be so fierce all of sudden. **“I…I needed to make sure. And I’m sorry! I even agreed on watching those movies you like so much because I really felt guilt about it.” **Honestly, for her, watching six hours straight of musicals was worse than any ghost out there – she thought it would be better to not mention it now. **“That’s what made me think you would like to have the ring.”**

Heejin groaned, annoyed at the girl, but even more annoyed at herself for not being able to stay mad at her – Hyunjin was at the same time the most inconsiderate and thoughtful person she ever met. Sighing, she gave up on being mad at her impulsive girlfriend. **“How did you get it?”**

Hyunjin fidget, stealing another sip of Heejin’s drink**. “Let’s just say I’m kind of rich.”**

**“Kind of?!”** Disbelief was written all over Heejin’s face. Not that she was surprised that Kim was a rich kid. She never went to her house, it was always the other way around, and both girls didn’t like talking about their families, but with only a glance at her fancy brand clothes and shoes was enough for anyone to tell that the raven was well off.

**“Well, my family is.” **She shrugged her shoulders again, it seems like her to go move whenever she wasn’t sure about how to act. **“And you are not the first gifted person I’ve met, so I just asked for some help. Is it such a bad thing?”**

Heejin could tell the girl was still hiding something from her. Hyunjin would always become tense when she was lying, her eyes never meeting Heejin’s and sometimes she could even see the tips of her ears getting a little red – perhaps she paid too much attention to that girl.

Sighing, Jeon deciding that it didn’t really matter how the raven managed to get that ring, the important thing was that she was trying to help her and this was the sweetest thing someone had done for her in a long time.

**“It’s not, I guess. I will use it well.”** Her gaze became softer, showing that the brunette was back to her usual self – she was never good at holding grudges anyway**. “Now eat, or you won’t be able to go back in time for class.”**

Hyunjin refrained from rolling her eyes, Heejin motherly behavior was still better than to have her mad at her – but still a little annoying. **“Okay, okay. Now pass me those!”** Kim asked, reaching out for the food. Not that she was really in a rush, she was never late for class, after all she just needed to convince the teacher that _he_ was the one that was early for lecture.

And as Heejin would figure out soon enough, Hyunjin was a _very_ convincing person.

For the rest of the lunch they didn’t speak much. Heejin was still focused on the ring, trying to determine whether or not it was working, meanwhile Hyunjin was busy eating as much as she could to please Heejin and make sure the girl wouldn’t ask any more questions.

The raven-haired girl already had too much in her mind.

The last visit to the Lunar library didn’t help her find anything useful about the curse, however she still had a couple of months until her birthday and she would make sure to use this time well to try and save them both. But as for now, she would rather to keep Heejin in the dark about the curse, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to act as carefree as they were now.

**“I’ll introduce you to Sooyoung next week.”** Kim spoke, finishing her meal and preparing to run to her classes.

**“The senior that works as an assistant at the library?” **The brown-haired girl looked at her with curiosity.

Hyunjin stood up, nodding positively. **“Yes, I guess you guys will get along just fine.” **They surely would, and it was important that Hyunjin had someone else who she could trust on to keep Heejin safe just in case things get out of hand.

Heejin smiled, excited with the idea.** “But why only next week? I’m free after class today.”**

**“Because I don’t want her third wheeling on our one month anniversary.” **Hyun smirked, before standing up to give her a playful wave. **“Wait for me at the gate, I’ll get us some nice food today.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not so late this time, yay! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Merry Christmas and happy new year everyone!
> 
> Just a couple of notes to make sure there is no confusion: Caster is a term to define someone who possess a strong magical gift and was born into a magical family. There are many types of gifts, however Hyunjin is a Siren and as the story goes, I might explain more about her gift.


	6. Stain

The young brunette stepped out of the building, taking in a deep breath and smiling with her eyes closed. The smell of grass mixed with the chirping sound of the birds and the soft conversation of her classmates on the back was a rather weird, yet pleasant combination. She always had hated when classes ended late, rushing to the bus stop and praying she wouldn’t meet anything unpleasant on the way. However, now things were different.

Heejin felt like she had turned a new page on her life, as if she has reached a new era since she met Hyunjin and they became friends. Now, on hold of that very special ring, she felt it even more. Ever since they first met and start their unusual friendship – was it a friendship? Jeon was a bit too dense to see through Kim’s ironic remarks –, she started to feel a little more confident and sure of herself. At first because she felt like she had a work to do protecting Hyunjin from the _shadows_ and making sure she was safe, but as the time passed, it only became more obvious that it wasn’t a mission to accomplish, it was more like they were fated to meet and affect each other’s life. There was a big chance that it was just her being naïve, but the idea didn’t bother Heejin at all, she appreciated every moment they spent together, every moment that she was able to act just like herself and not having to put on a façade.

She might have protected Hyunjin, but the younger protected her as much, if not more.

Having Hyunjin in her life not only brought her a new friend with whom she could feel comfortable and at ease – most of the time – it also gave her a chance of knowing how it feels like to be normal. First by the simple fact of having someone to talk to, joke around and even be vulnerable with. And now, Hyunjin even had given her a chance she never thought she could’ve.

Heejin opened her eyes, smiling as she looked at the ring that blocked anything that should no longer be rooming these streets of appearing before her eyes.

It was definitely something new and exciting.

Heejin was always too aware of her surroundings, trying to avoid meeting something she wasn’t supposed to, while trying her best to not let other people notice her weird ways. Now, for the very first time, she didn’t have to worry about it. At first it was weird, she _almost_ missed being able to feel whenever something was off, afraid the ring would fail her in an important moment and put her in danger – that’s why for the first couple of days, she was more careful than usual, keeping all her amulets close to her and not daring to step outside her house when night comes. Now that she knew Hyunjin was aware of her abilities and wouldn’t treat her like a crazy person because of it, she felt more at ease to speak about her concerns and rely on the girl to keep her company at all times. Kim still kept her not so good tough act, but Heejin was becoming more and more aware of how caring and softhearted the other girl really was.

She walked towards the tree where they usually met, giving the raven her trademark smile as she quickened her steps to reach her. **“Hey! How was class?”**

Hyunjin rolled her eyes at Heejin’s cheerful tone. Sometimes she wished she was as excited about her boring college obligations as Heejin was to talk about it. **“It was boring. Like every day.”** She let out a yawn, fixing her backpack on her shoulder. **“We should get going. People were being too loud with some useless project in class today and I couldn’t even nap there.”**

Kim was about to take a hold of the older girl’s arm, dragging her to the gates, but the unusual expression on Heejin’s face made her stop halfway through**. “What?”**

Heejin fidgeted with her fingers, biting lightly on her bottom lip as she tried to refrain from smiling – she shouldn’t, she knew Hyunjin wouldn’t let her be if she showed how excited she really was over such a simple thing. **“I can’t go home with you today. I, sort of…Well, my friends from class invited me to this get together and now that I have this ring I can actually go!”**

Hyunjin’s slightly confused expression turned into a deep frown quickly, unable to hide her displease with this sudden turn of events. Kim was in many ways similar to a cat, and just like a spoiled kitten, she didn’t enjoy sharing her special person with anyone else, nor having her peaceful routine broken.

**“Hm. Where are you going?”** She said, crossing her arms in front of herself. There was a new, uncomfortable, feeling slowly creeping up inside her at the thought of Heejin favoring other people’s company over hers. Wasn’t she working so hard to be nicest person she could to that _Club leader wannabe_? And now she was ditching her for a bunch of book nerds? If Hyunjin didn’t hate the word ‘jealousy’ so much, she would probably have figured out it might be the reason the situation annoyed her so much. **“I’m not picking you up if you drink too much, Camp Leader.”** She warned with a glare.

Heejin, on the other hand, didn’t seem frazzled by grumpy raven’s actions. She knew Hyunjin might try to put a strong front and show her worst side when things don’t go her way, but she also knew that the girl didn’t really mean any of it.** “Do you want to go with us? We are going to a restaurant near here, we’ll just have dinner and talk for a bit.”**

Kim’s face twitched in horror at the suggestion.** “And deal with I don’t even know how many musical and book nerds? Thanks, but no thanks!” **She scoffed. Deep down she just didn’t like the idea of being the only outsider in the group. After spending so much time on her own – with the exception of some people that were as eccentric as herself – to be in the middle of any social gathering made her cringe, she couldn’t even imagine how awkward it would be. Besides, even if she hated having to admit, messing up Heejin’s night out wasn’t something she would want to do. Jeon might always have that dumb big grin on her face and fool someone who didn’t know any better, however, Hyunjin knew that under that smile was a girl who was constantly afraid of things she had no control over, desperately trying her best to maintain a normal life when she was anything but normal.

**“Just go and don’t have _too_ _much_ fun.” **She said at last, giving up on convincing the brunette to ditch her classmates. The raven created that ring to give Heejin a chance of feeling free of worries for once, of feeling safe and maybe even to act a little careless like any other college student should once in a while. So, what was the point of holding her back now? With a sigh, she relaxed her posture, forcing a smile on her face as she stared at the slightly shorter girl. **“No cheating, right?”**

Heejin blinked in confusion, but still smiled, relieved that the other woman was no longer acting like a grumpy kitten. **“It won’t take too long.”** She said as a promise, giving Hyunjin a reassuring nod. **“Can I call you after?”**

**“To pick up your drunk self out of the streets?”** Hyunjin replied, giving her a teasing smirk. Okay, she might let Heejin go out without her for once, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t make fun of her for it.

**“I don’t drink.”** The brunette clicked her tongue, giving the younger woman her best _unnie_ look – what wasn’t very effective at all. **“To go to my house, cuddle and watch movies.”**

Hyunjin faked a sigh. **“Again? I’ll think about it.” **The lie was blatant, they were doing that for weeks now and it slowly became one of her favorite activities.

Heejin giggled to herself, seeing through Hyunjin’s antics easily. She came closer to give the raven a quick hug. The voices of her classmates could already be heard and she knew it was a matter of time until they started looking for her – part of her wanted to introduce Hyunjin to them, but a bigger part of her was afraid the younger girl would turn cold again and scary them away. It was better to take one step at the time. **“Don’t forget to eat! Tell Sooyoung I said hi when you see her.”**

Unwilling – or at least pretending to – Kim hugged the girl back**. “I didn’t say anything about seeing Sooyoung today. Do you think I don’t have any other friends?”** She complained, although the assumption wasn’t far of the truth. At the end of the day her routine was basically attend to her boring class, pester Sooyoung in search of new books that could be useful and hang out at Heejin’s place – It was ironic that her once busy social life now barely existed.

Quickly ending the contact, Hyunjin pushed the brunette lightly in the direction of the loud group that had just came out of the building. **“See you in some hours. Remember to keep the ring with you at all times.” **She emphasized although by now Heejin already knew it by heart. It wasn’t like her to act all protective over people, but it was an annoying part of her that Heejin seem to have brought to life. **“See you later.”**

The brown-haired woman smiled brightly at her, bringing a warm feeling to her usually hollow heart, and waved before walking towards the group and head to the nearest exit of the campus.

Hyunjin kept her dark eyes on them until they were out of sight, and for a brief moment, she cogitate the idea of following them just to make sure everything would be okay, but a voice in her head – that sounded an awful lot like her annoying librarian friend – told her that it was just her jealousy acting up and she should keep her word, instead of acting like an overly protective mom.

Fixing her backpack on her shoulder, she started to walk towards the other side of campus where she knew she would find Ha trying to save some ancient book that was long forgotten in the old library no one used anymore.

Her steps were slower than usual, a light fatigue taking over her. If Heejin was around she would blame it on her bad sleeping habits or say that it was the girl’s fault for making her wait for their afternoon snacks. But Heejin wasn’t there and it was pointless to lie to herself.

Carefully, she unrolled her left sleeve, pursing her lips into a tight line as she noticed the small yellow-ish bruise on her wrist. It wouldn’t take long until it started to grow bigger and she knew that in less than three months nothing she did would be able to prevent it from spreading through her whole body.

Heaving a sigh, she covered the bruise once more. Sometimes when she was around Heejin it was easy to forget that she wasn’t a normal kid either, that she wasn’t even close of it. But the curse would always find a way to remind her that time was running out and it would not wait for her.

She would need to pay a visit to their local healer sooner than expected.

* * *

Heejin’s first night out with her classmates was different from what she expected, but it was a given considering her only way of experiencing it before was through TV dramas. It was fun, but she couldn’t really say it was better than stay at home with Hyunjin.

There were some drink games as expected –she didn’t know much about it and she soon figured alcohol didn’t taste that good –, but there was no karaoke singing, nor any of her classmates become funnier than usual. It wasn’t that different from their usual chat in class, most of it was just complaints about their grades and plans for the future with some eventual dating gossip. She wasn’t the most observant, what made her feel like a fish out of water when the other kids started to name drop and talk about all the new couples on campus, therefore she just smiled and pretended to sip on her bitter beer instead of saying anything.

**“And what about you, Heejin? Don’t you have anyone you are interested in?”** One of her classmates said, making the others focus their attention on the Jeon who almost dropped her half-empty cup of beer due to the embarrassment.

Being a loner almost her whole life had the perks of allowing her to skip this kind of awkward conversation…Until now. **“Me? I don’t really…”**

**“I saw you hanging out with Kim Hyunjin, isn’t she the ice princess of the department of economy?”** Another girl added, giving Heejin a curious look. Apparently get first hand gossip was even better than chatting about old ones.

**“How did you manage that? I have a class with her and she doesn’t spare a look to anyone. I actually thought she was kind of a bitch.”** The boy on her right spoke now, there was a not so subtle bitterness to his tone. He was tall and handsome, and a bit overconfident, she could see why he wouldn’t enjoy failing to woo Hyunjin.

**“Hyunjin isn’t good with new people, but she has a big heart and she can be pretty funny when she wants to.”** She came into her friend’s defense, purposely not mentioning that Kim’s humor was usually full of irony and sarcasm and that the girl wouldn’t hesitate on_ acting_ like a bitch whenever she felt like it.

**“So, what’s going on with you two? Are you guys a couple or…?”** The brunette that had begun the whole embarrassing conversation tried to pressure her for an answer, wiggling her eyebrows in a playful way as she stared at Heejin expecting for a reply.

Heejin felt her cheeks getting warmer, her smile growing nervous, prompting her eyes to create one as well. She could simply say her and Hyunjin were friends, it wouldn’t be a lie, but it also wouldn’t be accurate. They had this atypical relationship that revolved around silly jokes and subtle demonstrations of care and affection. Being around the younger girl made her heart warm, her head light and added a skip to her firm steps. It wasn’t like her heart was about to come out of her chest every time she saw the other girl, but she couldn’t deny it beat a little quicker and a little happier whenever she was greeted by Hyunjin’s signature smirk. It was simple and nice, a feeling that slowly involved her and gave her the kind of peacefulness she had always wished for.

She didn’t have many friends, but she could tell it wasn’t how you are supposed to feel around a friend.

Biting her bottom lip, she thought hard about how to answer the question. **“Hm, I guess…She is my person?”** She tried, using the only sentence that seem appropriated to defy their relationship.

**“Your person?”**

Jeon nodded, more confident now. **“She is someone I like to be around and share my life with. I hope it won’t ever change.” **Imitating the said girl, she shrugged her shoulders, a small smile on her face at the thought of Hyunjin as a permanent part of her life. It was impossible for her to tell if their relationship would ever evolve into something other than their friendly banter, but what she did knew, was that what they currently had was enough to make her life happier.

The small crowd around her gave her puzzling looks, confused about such unusual answer, until one of them left a sigh. **“Argh, kids in love are so disgusting! She could’ve have just said they are dating, but no, she had to brag!”** It was a blonde girl this time, and although her words were a bit harsh, her playful tone made it clear it was all a joke and soon everyone – including a relieved Heejin – was laughing and the conversation moved to another topic.

Heejin’s gaze softened as she relaxed, and she let it wander around the room to find a big clock on the opposite wall showing it was a little past nine. She fished for her phone on her pocket, deciding it was about time to call it a night and hope that Hyunjin wouldn’t be too grumpy to come and pick her up.

* * *

Hyunjin spent her afternoon and early evening knee deep in old books, helping Sooyoung in yet another useless search for anything that could be useful to break the curse. The tall brunette was determined, instigated by a random comment she had heard about this part of the library harboring old story books about the most important _Caster_ families in the town. Kim was a bit skeptical about that, after all, why would any _Caster_ keep this kind of a book in a common library instead of keeping it safe at home or at the lunar library? However, she was in no position to ignore any chances of getting new information regarding her family’s past, so she helped Ha to search.

They indeed found a couple of books, most of it masked with simple spells that Kim didn’t have any trouble waving away. Unfortunately, most of it seemed like useless farmer stories and after a couple of hours of reading Hyunjin had a numb behind and her fatigue had grown by ten times, so Sooyoung decided to call it a day after selecting a couple of books to take home.

The older girl seemed to have noticed how tired she was and even offered her a ride home, that she gladly accepted. Sooyoung didn’t voice any of her concerns, but the worried looks she kept on giving her were more than enough.

**“I’m just a bit tired. Heejin went out, when she comes back everything will be fine.”** She had said, a little lie to the huge pile of gentle lies she liked to tell herself. Even earlier in the presence of the Jeon, she still felt a little tired, having the girl away had just made it all stronger. It was clear that sooner than later Heejin’s effect on her would become weaker and then she would be doomed. She knew what she had to do, she just didn’t want to do it.

She waved Sooyoung goodbye at her doorstep, entering the huge house she still had all to herself. Her parents, the very own people that brought her into this world, hadn’t even bothered on checking on her after her birthday. They had simply left, travelling to only gods knows where, under the excuse she needed to make her own choices and they shouldn’t interfere. They had left plenty of money, all the credit cards and bank account numbers she would need some years to spend it all. Her dad, the man that was directly responsible to the curse that now lies within her, seemed so at ease about it, as if making such choice didn’t implicate in risking someone’s life.

Casters, whether they were _Light_ or _Dark_, weren’t average people, nor acted like such. Her parents never seem to take the title of _Dark Casters _very seriously, they always taught her that it only meant that they wanted to use their powers with freedom instead of restraining their gifts like some Light Casters do. Growing up, she realized that it also meant acting without caring about how it can affect others. She wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea, but at the same time she had enjoyed the power it could give – she was a _Siren_ after all –, she always thought it was only a matter of never going too far and it would be okay.

The curse had taught her the hard way that the division between Casters was something much more serious than this, and now she understood what it felt like to be on the receiving ending of a Dark Caster cruelty.

She never thought that her parents could be heartless like this. To anyone else maybe, but to her? Their only daughter and the only one who could keep the family line going? They left her all alone with the burden of the curse, with all the pain, fear and despair. She had reached the conclusion it was only another way to pressure her even further to make that choice.

Not bothering on taking her shoes off, she headed to her bedroom hugging herself. That house was always so cold, as if it was reflecting the interior of its owners’ hearts. No wonder she liked Heejin’s cramped apartment much better, no matter how small the place was, it had Heejin’s warmth and calm energy that made her feel safe and relaxed.

She went to bed, hoping she was too tired to be able to ignore the feeling of things watching her – no doubts the shadows were back once again, only waiting to latch onto her. She prayed that sleeping would be enough to rest her body and mind.

* * *

Heejin called at least three times before she could hear Hyunjin’s sleepy voice on the other side of the line. She frowned slightly, it wasn’t like the younger girl to go to bed early, it was usually the other way around.** “Hyun, hello?” **The brunette asked with a hint of concern in her voice. Perhaps she shouldn’t have insisted so much and let the girl rest. She waited for an answer, looking over her shoulder to check on the remaining members of the groups she had come with. It was getting late and people were calling it a night. **“I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to-“**

**_“Did you get drunk and needs me to pick you up?”_** Was Hyunjin’s answer, her voice much more like her usual now. She could picture the girl standing up and fixing her messy hair. **_“Text me the address, I’ll be there in ten.”_** The girl finished the call before Heejin could answer properly and Jeon sighed – seems like Kim was in her grumpy mode again.

Having texted the raven the address, she went back to sit at the table and made sure to pay her part of the bill. Hyunjin wasn’t the most punctual person, so it was no surprise that she didn’t appear after ten minutes. Heejin and the tall man from early waited by the door, the guy who was named Minho, seemed to have taken an unusual interest on her and she could guess it was probably due to her connection to Hyunjin. Minho wasn’t an unpleasant company, although his eyes always seem to conceal something, he was overall gentle and easy to talk to, so the girl couldn’t reject his offer to keep her company.

They were talking about their favorite authors when a taxi stopped in front of the restaurant, the open door revealing the dark-haired beauty that seem a little paler than usual. Albeit the weather was only a little chilly due to the evening’s drizzle, Hyunjin was wearing a thick coat that was probably as expensive as it was warm. Heejin bade her goodbyes to her colleague, rushing to meet the girl before Minho could try to approach her. **“Hey, thanks for coming!”**

Hyunjin just nodded, covering a yawn with her hand as she looked behind Heejin to the boy who was still staring at them. She couldn’t read his expression, but something about it was off and she automatically disliked the dude. **“Let’s go.”** Taking Heejin by the arm, she pulled her inside the taxi and out of the drizzle that seem to be freezing her sensitive bones. Awesome, she was back to feeling like an old lady in a cold day and the hours of sleep only seemed to make it worse. It had taken her an incredible long time to drag herself from under the covers and into some decent clothes before she could leave the house.

Instinctively she took a hold of Heejin warm hands, hoping that warmth could reach her as well. She hated the idea of using the girl, but it was impossible to not wish that the Jeon could actually help her, even if only a little. The last months had made her weaker, the usual pain from the curse seemed much greater now after this little break.

Heejin couldn’t hide her concerned look as she gently rubbed Hyunjin’s hands. The raven looked sick. Was she like that earlier and Heejin simply hadn’t noticed because she was too focused on herself? No, she would definitely have noticed it. **“Hyunjin, are you fine?”** She leaned in to check her temperature, but the girl avoided her.

Instead of answering, the raven decided to use another tactic. **“Who was the guy back there? Are you cheating on me?”**

Heejin rolled her eyes at the vain attempted of distracting her. **“Stop joking. You already know why I approached you that day.” **She managed to reach out and touch Hyunjin’s forehead, but there were no signals of a fever.

**“So, are you saying we are not dating so you can cheat on me?!”** Kim insisted, slapping her hand away lightly. The last thing she wanted was Heejin questioning her, and luckily for her the very own presence of the girl was enough to make her feel better – her chest felt a little light now, a little easier to breath and a little less cold. She thanked the gods mentally for Heejin.

Heejin couldn’t help but to let out soft chuckle, shaking her head negatively.** “Of course not. I’m not interested in anyone else.” **With this reassurance, she proceeded to check Hyunjin’s forehead again, then proceeding to touch her own to confirm the girl was indeed fine. Although there was no fever, the way Hyun looked pale and tired couldn’t possibly be normal, could it? Was she just overreacting? Maybe the little alcohol she had was affecting her judgment.

**“And I’m supposed to believe it?”** Hyunjin crossed her arms over her chest, adopting her grumpy posture all over again. Albeit there was a small smile on her face. Kim was relieved Heejin’s expression had softened, the worry slowly giving place to her usual bubbly self.

Jeon hugged the taller dark-haired girl, giving her best smile, the warmth from Heejin’s body seem able to reach Hyunjin and push away all the coldness. “**You are my person, Hyunjinie. My favorite person, even if you are a bit grumpy.”** She repeated for the second that night, not hesitating on giving Kim a fond look.

Hyunjin had to fake a cough, avoiding the girl’s gaze to hide the silly smile her lips insisted on forming. Little did Heejin knew that she was Hyunjin’s person too, in more than one sense. **“You are only saying it because I’m the _only person_ who hangs out with you, Club leader.”** She dismissed with a smirk.

Heejin pouted, hugging her a little tighter. **“Well, it doesn’t change the fact that you are my favorite, does it?”**

She patted Heejin’s back lightly, shaking her head at the older girl’s words. It was weird that simple words like this were enough to make her feel happy, perhaps because Heejin’s words always seem so sincere. **“You are becoming slicker by the day…Oh crap, Sooyoung was right about me being a bad influence!”**

The raven expected Heejin to break into another fit of laugher, but the car came to a stop at this exact moment and she notice the way the girl had become tense in her arms. Kim was about to ask the driver why they had stopped, but she was taken aback as she looked outside the window and saw her family’s home outside.

She had forgotten to instruct the driver to bring them to Heejin’s house, so the man had taken them back to where she came from.

**“We are here, miss. Are you both staying or-“** The driver asked, being cut off by the raven**. **

**“Go ahead, we are not staying here!”** She was quick to correct, giving Heejin’s address to the driver as she felt the girl staring at her with a confused look.

**“Hyunjin, that place…Do you live there?”** Heejin’s voice was small when she spoke, as if she was afraid of the answer. She had seen that house before, a place as beautiful as dark. She used to do her best avoiding the place, afraid of being notice by all things that seem draw to the majestic house. It was hard to imagine anyone living there, but what if the person living there was Hyunjin? The first time she saw the girl she was surrounded by shadows like that house, so was it the place or Hyunjin who was attracting such creatures? One way or another, it wasn’t something good. **“Do you?”**

Hyunjin hesitated, risking a glance at the ring on Heejin’s hand. The artefact wouldn’t allow the brunette to see past the house’s pretty façade, would it? Then why the other girl seemed so freaked out about the place? **“Er, sort of? I sleep over your house more than I sleep there.”** She tried to sound casual, her light tone not matching the atmosphere.

**“It’s your house?”** Heejin insisted, although it sounded like an affirmation rather than a question. Suddenly her worries from earlier were back again. She had done her best to keep Kim safe, but if she was living in such place, it would be impossible for her to not be affect by it. She stared at the girl, anxiety building on her chest as she remembered she was no longer able to see anything supernatural thanks to the ring.

They could be currently surrounded by spirits, or worse, _shadows_. The _shadows_ might even be latching onto Hyunjin in this very moment and she would be completely oblivious to it.

**“Yes! I mean, it’s my parents, but it’s cold as fuck and I hate it, so can we go to your place already?”** Hyunjin said, exasperated by how adamant Heejin was being regarding this matter. She didn’t want to answer any more questions, didn’t want to risk Heejin discovering more than she was supposed to. The simple idea of going back there made her feel nauseous, she prayed that her harsh words were enough to make the girl notice her discomfort and forget about it.

However, Heejin’s actions were as reckless as her words and it took Hyunjin a moment too long to notice what the girl was doing.

**“No! Don’t!”** She reached out to grab the older girl’s hand, but it was too late.

Heejin needed to _see_, she needed to check for herself and there was only one way. In a fluid movement, the protection ring was out of her finger.

Jeon felt her head spin as everything hit her. All her senses seemed stronger, voices filling her mind and cold filling her body as she was once again connected to the other plan. She could feel the energy of hundreds of spirits rooming the streets, the heavy burden of unfished business and the gloomy aura of the streets. But most of all she could feel the coldness irradiating from Hyunjin, attracting her gaze and making her muffle a scream at the sight.

No shadows, no spirits, instead she could only see something – or maybe she should say _someone_ – staring right back at her for a second before it vanished, giving place to something else. She could see a dark blood stain on Hyunjin’s arm, the red liquid making her cream coat turn burgundy as it spread through the material. She knew it wasn’t real, it couldn’t possibly be, but it still _felt_ real. The thing she had just seen wasn’t a ghost, it was completely different from everything she had ever met before – whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

Her breath was heavy, her heart beating so loud on her ears as fear and despair run through her. She needed to do something fast.

**“Heejin, put the ring back right now!”** Hyunjin screamed, taking the girl’s hand and trying to do it herself, only for the ring to fall on the taxi’s floor as Heejin jumped to grab her arm, desperately trying to unroll her sleeves and check for herself the wound she knew was there.

Her fingers barely touched the bruised spot on Hyun’s skin before she felt a sharp pain irradiating through her hands and spreading to her whole body.

Heejin let out a painful moan as she fell on Hyunjin’s arms, unconscious. The car came to a stop as the worried driver turned around to check what was going on.

**“What is happening? She passed out?! Kid, she needs to go to a hospital!”** The driver’s voice fell onto deaf ears.

Hyunjin was completely focused on the brunette, cold fear embracing her as all sort of terrible things run through her mind. It was her fault. It was all her fault.

**“Heejin!” **Kim called, hugging the older girl the best way she could at the same time her free hand frantically searched for the ring on the floor of the car. She could feel her throat closing as she felt Heejin’s body growing colder in her arms. **“Heejin, please wake up!”** She insisted on saying, finally managing to reach the ring and clumsily putting it back on the older girl’s finger. She watched in expectation, ignoring the driver’s complaints, as she waited for a miracle that didn’t happen.

**“Heejin, please, please!”** She tapped the girl’s cheeks, but Jeon’s eyelids didn’t flutter open.

The fear was running through her veins, dominating her mind and making it hard to breathe. But she had to try her best, she had to make sure Heejin wouldn’t pay for her actions.

The driver had made his own decision, starting the engine to lead them to the closest hospital. However, it was useless. A normal hospital wouldn’t be able to help Heejin now.

She shouted at the man, giving him a new address to go to, facing his stubborn voice that still insisted on going to the hospital. Closing her eyes, she tried to ignore the sharp pain on her chest and focus on reaching the man’s mind, allowing the fear to be replaced by her power. **“You _will_ take us there. As fast as you can and you _won’t_ ask any questions or tell anyone about it.”** She ordered, every word pushing roughly against the man’s willpower, emptying his mind of anything besides her commands. She repeated the address. **“Now drive. Safe and fast.”**

Hugging Heejin closer to her chest as the car start moving in the right direction, she whispered softly to girl. **“I’m sorry, Heekie. You’ll be fine. You have to.”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! I have no excuses to be this late, but well…Sorry! Sorry for all mistakes too...And btw, next chapter you all will meet a new member, I guess you can guess who.
> 
> Please support Loona’s cb next week and see you next time!


	7. Bond

**“I really don’t get paid enough for this.”** Kim Jiwoo muttered to herself as she carefully placed the girl’s body on her couch with the help of the bundle of nerves that was Hyunjin now. Her knowing gaze inspected the unconscious brunette’s body, her hands gently brushing against the skin of her forehead, trying to check her state.

**“Just help her and I’ll pay you whatever you want. I don’t care what you do, just do it!”** The other Kim’s voice wasn’t as intimidating as usual, it actually sounded desperate and erratic – Jiwoo could tell how much it meant to her and had to contain a grimace, after all there was only so much she could do, no matter how much money Hyun offered her.

Pursuing her lips, Jiwoo shoot the younger woman a glance.** “I’ll do it, if you let me work in peace.”** Her tone was unusually serious, the task at hand wasn’t simple and Hyunjin screams wouldn’t help her concentrate. **“Go and grab your medicine for you in my office’s cabinet, I’ll check what I can do for her meanwhile.”**

Hyunjin didn’t want to leave Heejin’s side and she hesitated, giving a short nod before following Kim’s instructions. All the way to the healer’s house had been a nightmare. People usually say that time seems to slows down in precious moments, but no one had ever told her that it also did in the worst times. Even though she was pressuring the driver as much as she could and they were zooming past the other cars to reach Jiwoo’s house, she could feel Heejin’s body getting colder and her breath shallow, as if every single second that went by was taking her further away. The feeling was terrifying and as soon as they were at Jiwoo’s door step, she pushed her way in, prompting the driver to leave Jeon on the couch and leave as the healer came to check on what was going on.

Several minutes later, she still didn’t feel any better. Heejin was still unconscious and the healer’s expression wasn’t giving away anything. She knew Jiwoo was trustworthy, after all before she came across Jeon, the older Kim’s medicine was the one thing that kept her going. And even if Jiwoo couldn’t be of much help, it was still their best chance considering a normal hospital would be completely useless now.

Grabbing the bottle of medicine with her name on the label – some sort of potion or whatever Jiwoo did to help her, she never bothered trying to figure what went inside it –, she ran back to the living room finding the woman clasping Heejin’s hands tightly, eyes closed as if she was meditating. Hyunjin wanted to ask what was going on and pressure for answers, but she knew better than interrupt Jiwoo’s work.

Jiwoo was a _Thaumaturge_, a very special type of Caster. She could feel other people’s pain, locate any injury and act on it – she would take away the pain, but it always came with a price, meaning that she needed to be very careful of what she chooses to heal. Kim helped her when nobody else could, she tried her best to fix all damage the curse caused on the raven, but it was only so much one could do. The potions tasted awful and she would rather not taking it, but they worked and she had to admit Jiwoo was pretty talent for a _Light Caster_.

Gasping for air, Kim fluttered her monolid eyes wide open and stared at Hyunjin intensely for a moment. It took her several minutes to catch her breath, sweat running through the side of her face as if she had just run in a marathon. When she finally let go of Heejin’s hands, she was pale and looked like she had seen a ghost – she might have –, and Jeon finally moved on her sleep, laying on her side with a small smile, her chest going up and down slowly as if she was sleeping peacefully.

Jiwoo had made it.

Hyun rested against the door frame feeling her knees weak, relief washing over her as she allowed herself to breath properly for the first time since Heejin was attacked. She could tell it wasn’t an easy work for the healer, thankfully her crappy parents had left her more than enough money to pay the girl well for it. **“Thank y-“**

**“Just take you damn medicine! We need to talk.”** In all her years of meeting the shorter woman, it was the first Hyunjin saw her so serious, and without a second thought she did as she was told.

* * *

Heejin was still sleeping soundly on the couch, and big part of Hyun wanted to wake the girl up, look into those warm brown eyes of hers and see that dumb optimistic smile so she could feel at ease again. Yet, she didn’t. Jeon went through a lot and she deserved some rest, besides, Jiwoo was currently eyeing her from her seat on the other side of the table and she didn’t look happy.

Awesome, now she had Sooyoung _and_ Jiwoo on her back – she was too grateful to both of them in the moment to complain about it though.

**“Tell me again what happened to that kid**.**”** In other occasion Jiwoo’s serious tone would have made her laugh, however she wouldn’t dare to do that now, not only because the girl seemed to have a real concern to discuss, but also because part of her was just so tired and relieved at the same time that she couldn’t bring her usual cynical self out.

Therefore, she did as she was told, giving Kim the most detailed explanation about what happened in the car. She expected some questions, but all she got was a deep, tired sigh instead. Kim’s impatient kicked in. **“Now can you stop with the mysterious shit and tell me what happened to her? Is she going to be okay?”**

Jiwoo rested against the back of the chair, taking a big sip on her drink before answering. Hyunjin’s impatient self was nothing new to her, but that situation definitely was and she wasn’t quite sure of how to deal with it – presuming they _could_ deal with it. **“I think things just got a lot worse.”**

**“What do you mean?”** Hyunjin didn’t have time for this kind of games, besides, how any more fucked up can things get when she was destined to die in a matter of months?

**“The curse, if I recall correctly what you told me, there is more than just that.”** Jiwoo’s voice was quiet and oddly low, much different from her usual loud and talkative self. It made Hyunjin uncomfortable, making her raise eyebrows in a silent demand, waiting for her to talk. **“If I’m right, and I’m afraid I do, you guys are connected now. And even if you take the easy way out, none of you will be completely fine after it.”**

The raven-haired girl blinked, her hand grasping tighter the green mug she was drinking from, as she tried her best to retain her composure. **“Straight to the point, Kim Jiwoo.”**

**“I’m saying that even if you get her to sacrifice herself for you, a part of you will die with her as well.”**

The simple sentence echoed through the kitchen, and the silence that followed it, was as heavy as the rain that was started to pour over the city, hitting the windows like angry punch of desperate souls. The storm that fell over the city that night was much like the one that happened on the day of her eighteen birthday, bringing down the temperature and back her grim memories.

_On her eighteenth birthday, Hyunjin arrived home a little earlier than usual, she had skipped class and was planning on spending the afternoon at the arcade place near her house – as soon as she could get out of that awful school uniform and get some extra money in her room. It was drizzling outside and when she entered the house, she rushed to get rid of her shoes and backpack, she was about to do the same with her school’s sweater when she noticed something was off._

_Her parents were never the type that waited for her at home, even in a day like this she didn’t expect to see them until night, maybe even only tomorrow when her birthday party would take place. However, here her father was, his piercing dark brown eyes staring back at her as he sat on the living room’s couch and gestured for her to approach. With a small frown, she stepped closer, wondering if he had decided to play the caring progenitor and would give her the keys for a new car or something like it – she was very approving of this kind of parenting._

_Indeed, she would have accepted any gift. Anything, except that thing that he handed her without a word. The man just stood up, patting her shoulder lightly and giving her a stiff smile before leaving._

_Kim looked down on the object in her hands with a scoff. An old book? About her family out of all things? There was no way she would read that thing when she could be out and about having fun playing games and teasing people with her special talent – that, unfortunately, wasn’t an option, she figured soon enough._

_As soon as her dad stepped outside the house, the door locked behind him, just like everything else in the house. Suddenly the sun light could no longer be seen through the windows, only the light of a candle over the huge dinner table illuminating the place. The book she had thrown at the couch, was now lying beside the candle, open in a specific page as if it was asking for her to read it._

_Of course, the raven was too stubborn to simply do as suggested. She tried her luck with all the doors and even with her room’s window, she tried blowing the candle to see if the spell would fail in case the fire was put out – it didn’t budge. A terrible time for never bothering to learn new tricks, she wouldn’t be able to convince the doors to open with her siren powers. Cursing her parents, she tried to find a way out of the house, to no use._

_After about an hour, she found herself with no option other than sit in front of that book and read it. _

_She would always regret this decision._

_ That day Hyunjin learnt that ignorance is the biggest bless one could ask for – at least if you belong to a family like hers._

_The reading wasn’t difficult, it was actually pretty succinct. Unbelievable simplistic to the horrendous thing it was telling her. Her eyes darted through the pages over and over, wondering if this was some kind of twisted joke, but the words remained the same. The rest of the book seemed pretty useless, only describing all the ‘big’ things her family had done throughout the years – some horrific, some despicable, all there like it was worth bragging._

_Even after she finished it all, the doors remained locked, the candle had slowly turned into a pool of paraffin, leaving her in complete darkness. Her body was shivering, all the information she just learned heavy on her shoulders, like a weight that could crush her at any moment. She didn’t want to believe it – it was too ridiculous to be true, it was too horrendous to be. If those words were real, she was only one more person in a long line of selfish, disgusting killers. _

_Hyunjin could be a lot of things, but a killer wasn’t one of them._

** _“Open! Fuck, let me out!” _ ** _She screamed, throwing the book at the door, even though she knew it was useless and all she received as an answer was the sound of the thunder shaking the windows. **“I read that shitty book already! What more you want from me?!”** She tried to force the door open, throwing her whole body against it. The door didn’t give in, only the pain irradiating from her arm as she fell on the floor. _

_The darkness that evolved her was suffocating, as if all the victims of her ancestors were reaching out to take ahold of her body and take her to under the ground with them. **“Please, just let me out.”** Her words faded in the emptiness of the room, only the sound of a clock striking eleven o’clock breaking the dead silence – Just like this, the door was open, showing her the way out to the cold and stormy night that waited for her. _

_Eleven o’clock, she was born at this exact hour and now she officially an adult._

_With clumsy moves, she stood up to run out of the house, the heavy rain hitting her hard as if the heavens were punishing her. She didn’t know where she was going, where she could possibly go to hide away of it all – if it was possible to run from such thing._

_It wasn’t._

_She had barely made her way out of the house when a burning sensation took over her arm, spreading through her whole body until it was so painful, she couldn’t take even a single step, dropping onto the floor as the rain washed over her. Now there was round, dark bruise on her left arm – she was marked for life, no matter where she would go, the curse would always follow her._

_The burning sensation gave place to coldness, so cold it made her crawl into a ball, hugging herself as a voice without a body whispered in her ears. **“One year. One life for one life, given or taken, choose one or lose all.”**_

_The voice was gone just like the coldness, but the mark remained as the rain hit her harder. Hyunjin wished she could drown on it._

_But she didn’t, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t die that day, nor she could die any other day until her next birthday and then, when the day arrives, she would have to decide whether or not she would be the one to live._

_Hyunjin would meet a person who was capable of changing her life, for the good or for the worst. She would fall for them as they fall for her. She would love them with all her heart, and they would love her with their whole being. She would have to choose whether she would let the curse follow its path and end her life at the end of a year, or if she would ask the person that loves her the most to take her place – like all the ones before her had done. _

_It was up to her, decide whether she would live or be the cause of the death of the person she loved._

**“You two share some kind of bond now, a very strong and special one.” **Jiwoo continued, her words hard as rocks against the fragile glass that surrounded Hyunjin’s heart.

Her breath hitched. She knew she was being selfish by staying at Heejin’s side, but she never thought it could affect her like this. It was okay when the curse could only hurt her, it was okay when it was her burden to carry, but why she felt like her world was crashing and burning now that it could harm Heejin too?

**“Break it!”** It was an unreasonable request and they both knew it. Jiwoo looked at her with merciful eyes, only shaking her head slightly. **“I don’t want it, s-she…She doesn’t deserve it.”**

**“There’s nothing I can do. One of the things that keeps on sucking the life out of you tried to latch onto her, it shouldn’t happen, but thanks to her connection to you, she was this close of being put into a coma.”** Albeit her words were harsh, not even trying to sugar coat the truth, the older brunette could see how shaken the younger girl was and reached out to touch her hand over the table. **“Listen, Hyunjin. You need to take care of yourself, if you’re fine, they won’t be able to reach her. The ring was a good idea, but things like what happened today can happen again if you slack off.”** Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, she pulled back.

Hyunjin sunk on her seat, frustration and hopelessness filling her. What was the point of all that? First her, and now another person who was completely innocent. Even if her family had made so many mistakes, how was it fair to make her and Heejin the ones to pay for it? The curse was a lie. A year? Her birthday was months away and they were already being tortured by it. **“My condition is getting worst. Heejin being around makes things better, but as soon as she is not, it’s worse than ever.”**

The confession was something that Jiwoo could’ve predicted already, her acquaintance and client – she wouldn’t dare to call Hyunjin a friend, that girl had always kept her distance – didn’t appear to get her medicine in time and now the curse was making good use of the opportunity. **“The one you took today should still work, but I’ll try something different for the next time. As you know, there is a limit for what I can do.”** Standing up, she moved to reach the fridge and get them something for dinner.** “She will need time to recover her energy, and we need some food while we wait.” **Focusing on more practical matters seemed like a better idea now.

The younger Kim thought about protesting, but only sighed. Jiwoo was right about everything and it was hard to deal with it. Still, she needed to be there when Heejin woke up, until then, there wasn’t much she could do other than wait.

**“The curse is about the two of you, even if she doesn’t know it. The faster you tell her about who you really are, the best your chances at defeating it.”** Was Jiwoo’s final advice before she averted her attention to the task of boiling water for the ramen. Hyunjin didn’t reply, she didn’t have to. Tell Heejin about the curse would turn her life into a hell, something much worse than just having to deal with angry spirits, still, she couldn’t delay it forever.

However, there were other matters she had to deal with before.

* * *

When Heejin woke up, she felt her eyes still heavy with sleep, sensitive to the soft light that illuminated the place. Blinking she tried to sit up, but found herself stuck in place as two arms were holding onto her right one strongly – it didn’t scare her, she could recognize Kim’s touch and it warmed her heart to see the girl had been taking care of her all this time.

Nevertheless, she didn’t like not being able to recognize the place where they were at or the fact that she couldn’t remember how they had got there. **“Hyunjinie?”** She called, gently separating herself from the girl to sit.

Kim’s eyes fluttered open right away, carrying a worried look that she had never seen on them before. **“You’re finally up! How do you feel? Are you okay? Do you want something? Can you remember what happened? What did you see when you were out?”** The younger girl shot the questions like bullets, so fast that Heejin sleepy self could barely register them. She sounded worried, her nervous touches on Heejin’s arm matching the concerned look in her beautiful dark eyes that looked more the ones of a scaredy cat today.

Jeon giggled weakly and soon her hand found its way to Hyunjin’s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. **“I’m okay, Hyunjin. Sleepy, but okay.”** She tried to look around, but there wasn’t much too see, the simple bedroom was comfortable and fit for a guest, but there was nothing to give away who the owner of this house was. **“Where are we? Is this your house?” **Heejin silently wished they weren’t at the Kim’s residency.

**“We are at my friend house, her name is Jiwoo. She took care of you.”** The raven informed, sitting straight in the bed to watch her with those dark eyes – there was concern on them still, Heejin could feel as the taller girl inspected her as If she was looking for something off.

For a moment, Heejin didn’t say anything, only nodding slowly as she tried to remember the events of that evening. Her memories were disorganized and foggy, it was hard to recall exactly what happened. Still, she remembered the most important thing: In the moment she had taken off the ring, she had seen something and it had somehow attacked her. The ring, however, was back on her finger and she was fine now, so what had happened in the meantime? ** “Did I pass out? Why are we here and not at hospital?”**

The younger woman chewed on her lower lip, and Heejin could almost feel her controlling the urge to shrug her shoulders and let out an easy lie. With a deep sigh, Hyunjin finally spoke. **“A hospital couldn’t help you. I told you to keep the damn ring on your finger, but you are so stubborn for a girl scout.”** The annoyance in her voice couldn’t camouflage the honest care her words carried, for the first time Hyunjin’s confident self was no longer there, instead Heejin could only see worry and maybe even fear. **“You know what happened, don’t you? That…Whatever you saw, wasn’t human and it wasn’t good. You shouldn’t have seeing it.”**

Closing her hands into fists, Heejin tried to not let her fear visible on her face. She couldn’t remember what happened after it launched against her, but she could remember the feeling of loneliness and emptiness it brought her, as if it could easily throw her into a dark room with no windows or doors and watch her perish slowly, as if it _wanted_ to hurt her in more than only the physical sense. That thing was attached to Hyunjin, maybe even in this very moment, it was still there with her. Her brown eyes stared at the girl she had grown so fond of in the last few weeks. **“Hyunjin, why is it following you? First the shadows and now this…Why?”**

The questions were expected, and although Hyunjin had a lot of time to think about how to answer them, it still made her wince. She didn’t want to lose Heejin, not only because she wanted her to live on as she deserved and as it was the right thing to happen, but she also didn’t want to lose her company and the relationship they had built.

Heejin had taken her into her life completely, just like the curse prophesied, she was the one to accept her and offer pure, honesty affection without asking for anything in return, yet here Hyunjin was, still keeping all sort of secrets from her and putting her in danger. The thought that Jeon could have been lost to the darkness today because of her was enough to make it hard to breath.

Push her away wouldn’t keep her safe at this point, maybe it would make her an easier target. One way or another, they were stuck together now and the brunette deserved honesty.

**“I’m a Caster, Heejin. Not a nice, kind one like Jiwoo. I’m a…”** Dark? Was it what she really was? Sirens were doomed as Dark casters for the very own nature of their powers, but she had never picked a side in this ancient battle of the universe forces, and perhaps she would never be able to do so.** “I’m not sure to what side I belong.”**

Her words seemed to take a while to be processed by the brunette’s mind, the unknown terms probably didn’t make any sense for her. **“You are telling me spirits are following you because you are special?”**

**“I wouldn’t put it in this way.”** A humorless chuckle left her lips. For her whole life, she always thought she was superior to average humans, that her powers were enough to put her above even many of her fellow Casters. Now, she wished she was just an average girl, that there was no magic or curses in her life, just the plain and boring life of a college student. **“I’m a Caster.” **She repeated, emphasizing her words. **“A witch, someone who can cast spells and do things others can’t.”** Her voice was monotone, as she tried to recite the many books she had read on the topic. Speak about it made it sound so ridiculous, however, it was the truth and Heejin needed to understand it**. “My whole family is like me. Just like you were born with the gift of sight, we’re born with our own gifts, they are passed through generations like a…Like a _curse_.”** She said the last word through her clenched teeth, lifting her gaze to face Heejin, hoping her sincerity could reach her.

Maybe it should’ve shocked Heejin, but somehow Hyunjin’s words made a lot of sense, like the missing piece in a puzzle. It explained the special aura about her that no one else seemed to have, and also why the shadows would try to latch onto someone like her, or how she had find that protection ring when Heejin couldn’t find one even after looking for years…She wondered if the girl even ‘found’ it indeed, or it was just one of her creations. Compared to Hyunjin, she was suddenly only an average person and it felt good and bad at the same time – as if they could never be on the same page in life.

**“What is your gift, exactly?”** It couldn’t be something as simple as seeing spirits, otherwise she would have noticed the ones following her…Or maybe she did, but didn’t do anything to keep them away, but if it was the case, why would she do it? **“Hyunjin, does it have anything to do with what I saw?”**

Shaking her head, the raven-haired girl contained a sigh. **“No, what you saw…I can’t really see it, I can feel it sometimes, but not see it.” **It wasn’t a lie, she didn’t have the same ability as Heejin. Nonetheless, it still wasn’t the time to tell her about the reason why so many astral vampires seemed attracted to her. After what Jiwoo told her earlier, the implications of the curse had only grown and now more than ever she needed a plan to defeat it. Just for a little longer, she would try to protect Heejin of knowing the terrible fate they shared, just for a little longer she would let her believe they had a chance of winning – and Heejin would, she would make sure of it, as for her…Only time would tell.

**“I’m good at speaking to people. Asking, no, demanding them to do whatever I want.”** Kim was fully aware of how bad her powers could sound, even in the Caster community, Sirens were considerate powerful, but dangerous beings. The ability of manipulating people’s minds and turn them into puppets was a great gift, and perhaps the one that demanded the noblest of the characters – Hyunjin was never the best example of it. **“I’m Siren, and like the ones in the legends, I can use my voice to manipulate people. That’s why I always get good grades even if I don’t study or go to class.” **The indifference in her tone was forced, she was speaking as if it wasn’t a big deal, although she knew Heejin would probably freak out at any moment. Jeon probably would skip the part where they make baseless accusations about the way she uses her powers and scream at her, Heejin was too kind to do so, but fear is a powerful thing and it was probably crawling its way into her mind right now.

**“You…”** Heejin hesitated, flashes of memories popping in her mind as she remembered all the times Hyunjin had granted with a smirk that she wouldn’t need to study for her next test or do her homework – still, she would always sit with her and do it. Jeon had thought she was only a rich kid who had grown a little bit too spoiled, but this kind of power was something hard to imagine. Even the sound of it was enough to make her feel uncomfortable. Seeing spirits was nothing compared to the ability of manipulating the people around you – if Kim wanted, she would be able to cause a lot of harm and all with a simple word.

Hyunjin closed her eyes, ready to hear her words in silence because she wouldn’t be able to plead her to stay, not without the girl wondering if her decision was real or just the fruit of Kim’s powers.

**“…Never used it on me.” **Heejin’s words were almost a whisper, and there was something in her tone that was hard to tell, maybe surprise? Relief? Pride? This didn’t make any sense to Hyunjin’s ears, so she opened her eyes to see the expression on the brunette’s face. She found a smile, a much smaller and weaker than her usual one, but still a sincere smile. **“Even when we first met and you were so annoyed, you didn’t use it.”**

Blinking, Kim stared at her in confusion. Out of all things, Heejin picked to focus on this? She had chosen to see the best side of her instead of the worst? Nodding slowly, she waited for the girl to continue, but instead of words, she received a hug.

**“I don’t know what a Caster is and I don’t know what it means for us and the world, but I know you are _good_. You’ve protected me in so many ways since we met, and even today, you’re still here with me.” **Heejin tightened the embrace, her face against Hyunjin’s shoulder as she found comfort on being close to the raven. Ever since their first meeting, Hyunjin had never pushed her powers onto her, she had put up with her silly requests and kept her company, never pushing her own wishes even when she could, she could probably have gotten rid of her easily, but she didn’t. No matter how bizarre of a duo they were, she was happy to have the girl in her life. **“Nothing changed when you figured out about my powers, it won’t change because of yours.” **

Hyunjin wished it was true, she wished that the only thing keeping them apart was her gift, but long ago she figured wishing for anything was useless.

So, she just hugged Heejin a little tighter, for once letting her affection be known. **“I’m glad you are fine, _Heekie_. I really am.”** And even without seeing it, she knew the smile was back on the brunette’s face.

For now, they both had found a way to keep each other out of darkness, even if only for so awhile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there. How is everyone doing? Comeback was great, so I presume everyone is okay^^ Now the curse is revealed, and it’s time for our duo to start trying to find a way to solve things and maybe save themselves if Hyunjin will ever let Heejin know what is going on…I think it won’t take more than 3 chapters for it, or maybe less, I just hope I can remember to update in time xD
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading, I’m sorry about any mistakes and see you next time!


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